Dangerous Memories
by Delie
Summary: Harry accidently finds himself in Lupins past where he meets some very special people and discovers a terrible secret**FINISHED!!!**
1. Unknown Motives

Dangerous Memories 

**_Disclaimer:_** The characters in this story belong to JK Rowling, as do some of the themes and settings. No copyright laws are being intentionally broken. Some original characters will appear in later chapters.

**_Introduction: _**Hey thanks for visiting! This is my first fic. so please review. Anyway, back to the intro. This fic. is set after The Goblet Of Fire in Harry's 5th year. Dumbledore has reassembled The Order due to Voldemort's resurrection. Due to his Order commitments the Headmaster has decided to appoint an assistant to run the school during his long, unforeseen absences. Rating PG-13 just in case i get carried away in later chapters!

Chapter One: Unknown Motives 

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'Did you hear that Harry?'

 Ron asked excitedly as the crowds of students bustled out of The Great Hall, The Welcoming Feast heaving in their stomachs.

'Lupin, Assistant Headmaster, who'd have believed it? Dad said Dumbledore had had enough trouble persuading him to take the Defense Against The Dark Arts job again, but Headmaster! Isn't it great Harry? I mean, it's sad about Dumbledore having to leave so often, but Lupin, he's brilliant! I wonder why they picked him though?'

'Yeah' said Harry unsurely. 'Strange'

Of course he'd been excited, overjoyed that his dad's old friend would be rejoining the school, and in such a high job! Snape's face had been an absolute picture when Dumbledore had announced the news to the school, for once Harry wished Colin Creevey had head his camera with him! Ron was right though, why Lupin? He understood that Dumbledore would have to have a stand-in when he went away on Order Of The Phoenix business, although of course he hadn't actually said that. The Order Of The Phoenix was a secret organisation and nobody knew of it's existence but it's members, however Arthur Weasley had been asked to join The Order over the summer and the whole household had heard him screaming and singing when he'd been asked to join. Naturally Harry and the Weasley's wouldn't breathe a word. But even with Dumbledore gone there were other professors to take his place. What about Snape and Mc Gonagall, or where they in The Order too? There was so much to think about but a sneaking suspicion remained in the back of Harry's mind_, 'He's here to protect you'_. Harry knew as well as anyone that he was Voldemort's number one target. Was Lupin simply at Hogwarts for Harry's benefit? Like Ron said Lupin had been reluctant to come back. He had to find out. He had to let Lupin know he was fine and a bodyguard would not be necessary, after all he had defeated Voldemort plenty of times on his own.

'I'm just going to go and see Remus, er, Professor Lupin, I'll meet you in the common room' Harry told his friends.

'Yeah ok Harry' Ron said as he walked towards Gryffindor Tower with Hermione.

                Harry set off toward Dumbledore's office, assuming Lupin would be sharing it now, his head full of questions he wanted to be answered. He finally reached the entrance to the office that he had visited several times before. An ugly stone gargoyle stood guard outside the office that was hidden behind a solid wall. Now, what would the new password be? Harry knew Dumbledore too well.

'Sherbet Lemon?' he called out to the statue, 'Chocolate Frog?', neither had any effect. 

'Pear Drop?', 'Cockroach Cluster?'.

He went on to name every single type of candy he could think of, twice. None of them worked. Harry concluded that Dumbledore had given Remus the honour of choosing the new password. Now that would be tricky, he had only known Lupin one year.

'Werewolf?', he guessed, 'Boggart?'

Then something occurred to Harry and a smile slowly spread across his young face.

'Marauders Map' he chuckled to himself as the stone gargoyle moved to one side. 'Good old Lupin' he mused 'always got mischief on his mind'

The wall that had once stood behind the statue opened up leaving a gap for Harry to pass through. He mounted the moving staircase inside the gap and eventually reached the familiar oak door of the headmasters' office. Harry noticed that the door was now emblazoned with two golden name plates, one engraved

 '_Albus Dumbledore, Hogwart's Headmaster, Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards'_  - the other with the words

 '_Remus Lupin , Assistant Hogwarts Headmaster, Defense Against The Dark Arts Professor'_

Harry could think of a few things he would add to the latter, 'Werewolf' and 'Mischief Maker' sprang immediately to mind. He re-read the second plaque carefully, smiling tearfully knowing how proud his father would be if he could see it. Just then a new thought occurred to Harry How would Lupin cope with his transformations?. Anyway, no time for that now, he had more important things to ask.

                Harry rapped loudly on the brass doorknocker. There was no reply. He slowly  pushed the door open uncertainly and entered the room. It was empty. Looking around the room Harry was amazed at the changes he saw. Only a few of Dumbledore's remaining possessions made the great, circular room recognisable. It was, Harry decided much neater with Lupin's touch added. In front of Harry lay not one but two large, heavy oak desks laden with it's owners choice of decoration. Little steaming pots of strange liquid lay on Dumbledore's desk as did a large bowl of mixed confectionary. Harry noticed fondly that Lupin had half a dozen photographs of himself with the other Marauders, minus Pettigrew who had been unceremoniously cut out. To the back of the room  a cage full of Cornish Pixies stood on a reinforced steel table, Fawkes, the resident phoenix, flew overhead eyeing them suspiciously. The young wizard decided to take a seat at Lupin's desk and wait for him. For ten minutes he sat staring out of the window, realising it must be getting late as the sky outside was now turning red as the sun set in for the night. He grew tired as he looked out, mesmerised by the colours of the clouds as the orange swirls bled into a lazy pink sky.

'Where could they be?' Harry muttered impatiently to himself.

He began to pace the room and then decided to take a look at the great bookshelves that covered the back walls.

''How To Defeat A Giant', 'Dragon Hatching For Beginners', 'Hogwarts Finest Dark Arts Defenders', Hermione would love it here' Harry chuckled to himself. Just then a brightly coloured object caught his eye. At the end of the bookshelves on Lupin's side of the room  lay a small, octagonal, smoke-emitting basin. Although it looked quite different to the one Harry had seen before he could name it straight away.

'It's a Pensieve', he whispered to himself, 'and it's Lupin's'

He drew this conclusion from the beautiful artwork on the side. Under a thick gold rim was a picture that made Harry grin. There, stunningly crafted in enamel was a portrait of the three true Marauders – James Potter Sirius Black and Remus Lupin himself, all transformed into their corresponding Animagi. A full moon glowed upon a cyan and orange sky and behind the friends lay a solitary black tree. Harry recognised this immediately as The Whomping Willow but the picture was cleverly disguised so that the unknowing eye would think it nothing more than a common wildlife scene. Beneath the picture scripted in gold were the words _'Padfoot, Prongs, Moony, A Lifetime Of Memories.'_

Harry knew from experience with Dumbledore's Pensieve that the article was used as a kind of wizard diary, where it's owner could store memories as moving images rather than words. Thick smoke of blue and green swirled like a whirlpool inside of the basin and came to rise and hover several inches from it's rim. Before Harry knew what he was doing he found himself staring into the heart of the whirlpool until he found himself spinning,.....swirling,.............falling, sucked into the memories of Remus Lupin.


	2. Familiar Faces

Welcome to chapter two of my fic and big thanks to those who reviewed my first ;0) I apologise in advance if the next two chapters get a bit corny, I promise this isn't turning into a romance! I just needed to get a group of characters together who wouldn't usually do so and I thought what better than a formal occasion? I picked this one because I thought it would interest Harry the most and give him a few happy moments until I heap a load of crap onto him (cue evil laugh)

**Anyway on with the show....**

Chapter Two: Familiar Faces

 Harry felt his head spinning, coloured lights flashing inside his head, he felt sick with dizziness and all of a sudden........

THUD 

.....Harry landed in a heap on something warm and soft. He instantly panicked, warm, soft things were never a good sign in the wizarding world, it usually meant something evil was luring you into a false sense of security. On closer inspection of his surroundings Harry was put at ease. He had, in fact, landed on someone's bed. He stared at the bedroom  around him. Sunlight poured in from a large window to his left, he guessed he was now in summer, but in which year he had no idea. _Why had he stared into that damn Pensieve?_ Lupin would be really cross when he found out. Harry hoped he would find out because he had never managed to get out of one of these things by himself. 

The only way to describe the room he was in, Harry decided, was messy. Robes of all colours carpeted the wooden floor. In one corner lay a heap of screwed up paper and in the other  a massive pile various food wrappings. 

'Whoever ate all of that would put fat cousin Dudley to shame!' thought Harry.

A loud crash from beneath him brought Harry around from his favourite Dudley memory -  the time Hagrid had given him a pigs tail. The bang made Harry yell in surprise. Before he could ask himself where the noise came from his question was answered. From underneath the bed came a familiar but irate voice.

'Sirius Black I'll kill you one of these days' came the voice confirming Harry's suspicions -  it was Lupin. 

In less than a second his future headmaster  emerged from under the bed, his young face beaming scarlet with fury, frustration filling his pale brown eyes.  

'Oh I give in' sighed Remus ' Sirius get up here now! If you don't find it soon I'll have to tell James!' he yelled through the doorway.

Harry's eyes widened....Sirius?.....and James?.....They were here? The Pensieve incident had happened so fast Harry hadn't even thought of the consequences. He was about to meet his father, to see his father and his godfather together. Harry sat very still. These thoughts took a time to register. _He was going to see his dad._ His throat tightened unbearably, his eyes ached as he tried to fight back emotion. The young boy didn't have long to digest what he was hearing as seconds later heavy footsteps came thundering up the stairs, just like Dudleys used to when Harry lived in the cupboard under the stairs. The bedroom door crashed open, and there, stood in the doorway, was none other than Sirius Black.

Harry let out a hushed gasp.

'Moony, no, you cant, give me ten minutes'. Sirius stuttered aghast, his dark, rounded eyes pleading his case.

Harry couldn't believe what he saw. Sirius Black? But he looked so different. His face was no longer sunken and waxy, but dark and handsome. This couldn't be the same man! Harry had to pinch himself to remember that he was in the past, Sirius looked no older than a man in his early twenties, he had no clue what was to come. He stared, amazed at the broad, strong man before him.

'I'll find it. Don't tell James, just give me ten minutes', the pleading continued.

'James will be here in five, you have until then', came Remus' firm reply.

With that the two men commenced frantically searching around the room, Remus scouring the mess on the floor while Sirius searched the wardrobe on the far wall.

'Wonder what they're looking for', thought Harry regaining his composure. He felt rather useless sitting there on the bed but he knew he couldn't help. The Pensieve had merely transported him into a memory, not back in time, Remus and Sirius were completely oblivious to his presence, they could neither see nor hear him. The past had already been written, he could in no way change it, instead he sat there helplessly watching the two men hunt around for their missing object. Harry sat contentedly as the men rummaged around him. Lupins face was a picture as he scavenged amongst the pile of food packages.

'You know Sirius', he said in a superior tone, 'if you tidied up once in a while things wouldn't get lost so easily'

'You know Sirius blah, blah, blah' mocked his friend in a high pitched voice 'Honestly Moony, you are turning into a woman' he laughed

Lupin looked un-amused. Even at such a young age Remus had a tired look about him, unsurprising maybe for someone who turned into a werewolf once a month.

'This is not a laughing matter Sirius' he scolded 'Your best friend is getting married in one hour and you've lost the bloody ring!'

Married?....Ring?.....

'No, it cant be', thought Harry 'This is mum and dads' wedding day '

The front door slammed downstairs making Sirius jump. Before Harry could think about what was happening something shiny caught his eye. There gleaming in the sunlight next to his left hand was a small, golden ring. Harry jumped up quickly and bounded over to the windowsill where Sirius was frantically rummaging . 

'Sirius! Sirius!', he cried, 'it's on the....'    What was the point?    Sirius couldn't hear him. If he never found the ring nothing could be done about it, that was history. Harry slumped sadly onto a chair in the corner of the room completely forgetting that someone had just entered the house until the bedroom door opened. From behind the door appeared a man Harry never thought he would see. Tall and skinny, unruly black hair, thick round glasses. The man was a replica of Harry except for the colour of his eyes which shone a glowing hazel.

_'Dad'_ breathed Harry hardly able to make a sound, tears rolling freely down his young face.

'Come on you two, what are you doing? You should be ready by now' -  even his voice was like Harry's  - 'God, Sirius what the hell happened in here? Do you ever tidy up?' he laughed.

'Erm , well, um, hi, hi there James' Sirius stammered nervously, fear overtaking his handsome face. 'All ready for the big day? He attempted to sound cheery.

'Yeah all ready', came the reply 'Wish I could say the same for you to come on'

'Well, um James, sorry but..', Lupin started. Black began visibly panicking.

'What is it Moony?' asked James, as his eyes scoured the mess. 'Oh Padfoot' he exclaimed marching towards the bed 'When I asked you to look after Lily's ring I didn't mean sleep with it!', he laughed retrieving the ring from it's hiding place and holding it in the air.

Sirius looked like he would faint.

'Oh well, you know me' he winked, a smile of relief spreading across his face.

'Mmm' sighed James 'Well come on then, get ready' 

With that Sirius left the room .Harry laughed loudly to himself, 'Yes! They found it!'

In just a few minutes Sirius was back in the room, changed into his wedding clothes. He and James  wore identical black dress-robes, embroidered with scarlet and gold at the cuffs.

_('Just like true Gryffindors',_ thought Harry) James also wore a crimson cloak which was held together at his chest with a sparkling gold brooch. Remus left the room and headed off towards the now vacant bathroom to change.

The groom and his best man sat down on the bed and Harry, slightly uneasy of imposing, joined them.

'Nervous?' Sirius asked 

'Oh God wait until it's your turn! I can't stop worrying about the stupidest things. I've changed my mind about these robes five times today already!'

'Don't worry, you look great, you'll do Lily proud' comforted his best friend, his voice full of sincerity. 

'Where the hell is Remus? He's been in there fifteen minutes! I'm telling you Prongs he's turning into a woman!'

The pair laughed. Just then Remus returned dressed in brand new, scarlet robes.

'About time!' cried 'James 'We'll be late'. 

With that the three Marauders Dissapperated taking Harry along with them, to the next stage of Remus Lupin's memory.


	3. Joy And Tribulation

**Well, here it is chapter 3 all finished. Ok well first off massive thank you's to everyone who reviewed for me, it's much appreciated.**

** Mbali -  Thank you for your advice and  your great idea, I have got everything pretty much planned out but I will definitely use it ;0)  **

**C.  de Shey -   If  you do put your Pensieve story up drop me a note in my review box I'd love to read it! **

**Right anyway where was I....Oh yeah chapter 3...**

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Chapter Three: Joy And Tribulation

After the apparration Harry found himself sat next to Lupin, inside what he could only presume was a wizard church. The room itself was hexagonal and down the centre ran a long floor covered in purple velvet, which served as the aisle. To each side of the aisle lay several rows of marble benches which were occupied by almost a hundred witches and wizards. Harry could see his father and Sirius positioned at the front of the room before  a gleaming marble altar. He could see little else around him as the room was in semi-darkness, the only light supplied by a few dozen candles floating up ahead and the little sunlight that had managed to pass through the stained glass window. Harry noticed that these windows each bore the portrait of a famous witch or wizard, he recognised Nicholas Flamel and Albus Dumbledore instantly.

Whilst waiting for the ceremony to begin Harry became fascinated by the few people he could see around him. He began to sort them into their retrospective families, redheads with the Evan's, black hair and glasses meant they were Potters. Some of the wizards Harry could see looked like neither Potters' nor Evans' so he guessed they must be friends. He certainly didn't want to think the green-haired witch behind him was in any way a relation. He couldn't quite see the wizard to Lupin's left partly due to the dim light and partly because Remus was leaning forward, so he pondered on who would be taking the vacant seat to his right. His question was soon answered.

'Remus?' came the voice of a young, black-haired girl as she settled down beside him.

'Definitely a Potter', Harry thought 'She doesn't even need glasses for that to be obvious'

'Sonny! How are you? It's been so long!' Remus beamed obviously delighted to see the girl.

'Yeah I know, I'm sorry' she replied 'With me still being at Hogwarts I never get to see my other friends much'

'Oh of course, still it's your last year.' Remus answered 'Oh I'm sorry I don't think you've met...'  

Lupin shifted back in his seat allowing Harry to see the man on his left for the first time

...'this is our friend Peter Pettigrew. Peter this is Insontis Potter – James sister.'

Harry could not believe his ears. It couldn't be. But the short, pale man that he saw before him confirmed his worst fears. It was indeed Peter Pettigrew. 

Harry felt as though he was going to explode, he wanted to. He jumped to his feet.

'How could you!', he yelled, disgust masking his voice. His face grew scarlet.

'How _dare_ you come here! _You Traitor_!'

Flames of fury burned inside Harry's young eyes. What could he do? He couldn't just sit there!

'You little....'

Harry began to use language that would make the Weasley twins blush. He couldn't conceal it.Bitter hatred and uncontrollable rage coursed through his veins until his whole body shook.

This was ridiculous. He couldn't just sit there while that murdered walked free, dared to turn up at his victims wedding!

A sudden burst of loud music ran through the building, snapping Harry back to his senses. He spun around to see where it was coming from and he was met by the most beautiful sight he had ever seen in his life. She had a pure, pale face and large green eyes that shone out from beneath a gauzy, white veil. Long locks of curly, red hair tumbled freely down her back.

_'Mum'_, he sighed as the woman walked slowly past, towards the altar where James Potter stood.

Harry sat soundlessly throughout the ceremony. Not even the thought of Peter Pettigrew sitting just a few feet away could steal his happiness. Twice he had fought the urge to run over to his parents, but that wouldn't be fair, this was their moment. In his eyes the service was over all too fast. Lily and James exited through a door at the front of the chapel, leaving Sirius to announce that all guests should head over to The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade for a celebratory drink.

The Three Broomsticks looked nothing like it had on Harry's last visit. Dozens of tables littered the floor which was covered in streamers and glitter. He saw that the glitter was in fact, raining from the ceiling but it had been enchanted with a Dodging Charm so that it swerved around the customers, avoiding their drinks. From the ceiling hung rows of shimmering tinsel of red and gold and on the side of the bar the word 'Congratulations' shone in multi-coloured lettering, the word then slowly dissolved and was replaced by 'Lily and James'

Harry followed Remus to the top corner of the bar where Sirius cloak was draped over a chair. Remus sat down and waited for his friend to return from the bar. He soon came back, arms full of Butterbeer. 

'Great service wasn't it? I can't believe our Prongs is married!' Sirius beamed. 

Just then an out of breath Sonny joined the table.

'James won't be long', the best man told her ' He's just talking to your parents outside, they're just leaving to go on holiday. Aren't you going to see them off?'

'No' she puffed 'Let James do it, it's his day'

Harry couldn't help but notice how fond Sirius seemed of Sonny, he watched amused as his future Godfather grinned incessantly at his aunt.

'Wonder where Peter is?' Lupin interjected trying to divert Sirius attention.

'Oh he was over there talking to Lily's friend Molly and her sister. Nelly isn't it? The one who married that psychopath bloke.'

'Malus Jones.' Remus shuddered. 

Sirius flinched. 'Yeah, Jones, that's the one. Apparently Molly wasn't to keen on leaving him alone in the house so she dragged him along. God, he gives me the creeps.'

Harry turned and saw that Pettigrew was stood in the opposite corner with a tall, thin man. If that was Malus Jones it was unsurprising he gave Sirius the creeps. He didn't think he'd seen anyone so terrifying in his whole life, including Voldemort. The man,  who looked a few years older than Sirius and Remus,  looked like a corpse, his gaunt face covered in thin, red scars. His nose was crooked and lumpy and his mouth was nothing more than a slit across his bony chin. What scared Harry the most was the mans eyes, which appeared like gaping holes beneath his heavy, black eyebrows. One of his eyes, Harry noticed was at an odd angle and seemed to be higher up his forehead than the other. Both shone a lifeless blue from deep within their shadowy sockets. Those eyes, Harry decided, were evil. There was only one man he had ever seen look as lifeless and skeletal  as Jones and that was Sirius Black after his escape from Azkaban.

'Ooh, he's horrible' Sonny whispered. 'Why would one of Lily's friends want to marry him?'

'They were both Slytherin's', Remus answered quietly. 'Nelly was outcast by the others in her house because she came from a strong line of Gryffindors, Jones pitied her, thick as thieves apparently. Of course they had left Hogwarts by the time we got there, Molly was only in the second year when they went.'

The conversation stopped as the newly-wed's joined the table.

'Congratulations' Remus shouted as the happy couple took their seats.

'Yeah, congratulations' Sirius added putting a brotherly arm around his best friends' shoulder.

Lily beamed.

'Thank you, I mean for everything. We'd never have got all of this done if it wasn't for you guys' she smiled, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

Harry could help but think how beautiful she looked, how happy they both were.

'So , when can we expect the first Evans/Potter baby' Sirius joked.

'Give us a minute', laughed James. 'But, of course, we'd love children in the future', he smiled at his new wife.

'You'd make great parents' Sonny and Remus agreed.

'Yeah, they did' Harry thought.

After a few rounds of Butterbeer the party began to get rowdy. Remus started singing very loudly and Lily was in an uncontrollable laughing fit.

'Lily dear' came a quiet, frail voice 'Do keep the noise down, there's a good girl.'

Lily rolled her eyes and turned to the elderly lady behind her.

'Sorry mum' she giggled. With that the lady walked away.

'I'm going to get a round in. I trust you can keep quiet whilst I am gone Lily .' James grinned cheekily . 'Sirius, behave with my sister!'

Sirius was now drunkenly trying to impress Sonny by shooting flowers out of his wand.

'What do you mean? I am only being friendly!' Black retorted in mock disgust.

The whole table sniggered.

After a barrage of speeches and more lectures from Lily's mum because of her conduct, which had by then stretched to dancing on tables, it was time for the party to break up.

'What the hell happened to Peter?' James slurred as he staggered out of the pub.

'Too busy getting friendly with that maniac to think about you' Harry growled angrily

'Come on we'd best be going' Lily told James, 'We've got a honeymoon to go on. You can see him when we get back.'

After lots of hugs and good-wishes the Potters disapperated.

'Back to Hogwarts?' Sirius asked Sonny.

'No I've still got some holiday time  left. I'm just heading off back to my parents house, have some peace while they're away.'

'Nonsense' Sirius protested 'Come and stay at my house for a few days, Remus is coming too.'

Sonny gladly accepted but then a problem occurred to her 'I can't apparate, I haven't left school. I had to come here from the church on a muggle bus!'

'Well' said Remus brightly 'Good old muggle bus it is.'

The trio, plus Harry, made their way down the darkened road, Remus swaying uncontrollably. Harry couldn't help but laugh. He wished Ron could've seen their new headmaster drunk.

'Wait! Wait!!!' came a voice from behind them . They all looked back and saw a man running toward them from the shadows.

'Moody, is that you' Remus called out to the man.

'It is, it's Alistair' cried Sirius.' What are you doing here? I thought you couldn't get the time off work'

Moody stopped beside them. Harry was relieved to see that he looked a lot more human back in those days.

'This is work I'm afraid', the Auror sighed. I've been sent by the Ministry to follow Malus Jones. I've got reason to believe he's following the Potters'. I need to know where they have gone.'

'Moody, what is this?' Remus seemed alarmed.

'He's a Death Eater, Lupin. Voldemort seems to have sent him after James.'

Harry couldn't believe his ears. Jones after his parents? Then Pettigrew was in on it all along! He had been conspiring with Jones! Even at his 'friends' wedding he was plotting to kill them!

Looking at the three friends disbelief he at least had some comfort. He knew Jones wouldn't catch them. He knew that his parents weren't going to die on honeymoon. They died years later, after his birth. Somehow they would be saved from him. But Harry's comfort didn't last long for another horrifying thought occurred to him... 

Jones was married to Molly Weasley's sister.

He was Ron's uncle...


	4. The Roots Of Evil

Ok, next Chapters done, sorry it took longer than the previous ones! Once again huge thanks to everyone who reviewed for me.

Chapter 4: The Roots Of Evil

The journey back to Sirius house was a silent one. Sirius and Sonny sat ashen faced, Remus tried to remain calm but the strain showed in his tired eyes. The bus, bar the friends, was empty, yellow lights shone dimly from above them as it rattled along the darkened streets. The driver eyed them suspiciously through his rear-view-mirror, obviously taken aback by their strange clothing. It had not helped that Sirius had tried to pay the man in knuts, luckily Sonny had come prepared and had sufficient muggle money to pay their fares.

'Fancy dress party?' The elderly driver enquired.

Sirius grunted. The poor muggle decided against pursuing further conversation. They obviously were not the sociable kind.

After what seemed like a lifetime of sharp bends and bumpy roads Sonny outstretched her arms and rang the bell. 

'What the?!' Remus nearly jumped out of his skin.

'It's ok, it just signals for the driver  to stop. We need to get off here'

'Somebody does her muggle studies homework' Sirius muttered. In any other circumstances this would have been one of his off-the-cuff jokes.

The group alighted the bus and began their walk home. They followed a long path that lead up a back lane. To one side of them lay a thick wood, to the other a field.

'Where the hell are we?' I don't live near any country lanes!' Sirius sounded impatient.

'This is the closest we could get to your house.' Sonny responded 'Wizard housing estates aren't exactly on muggle bus routes.'

They continued walking along the deserted path soundlessly for ten minutes. The night air was cool and dry, streetlamps buzzed and flickered above their heads. 

It was Sonny that broke the silence. 'Do you think the Aurors will find Lily and James?'

Harry could see the concerned expression on his aunt's face. He desperately wanted to reassure her. In the few hours he had spent in her presence he had grown extremely fond of her. He wished he knew where she was back in his own time. He would have to ask Remus when he got back.

'Of course they will.' Remus answered Sonny. We've told Moody where they are and the Ministry are on to Jones. Your brother will be fine I promise.'

'Definitely' Sirius agreed Moody is the best Auror in Britain, probably the world. He'll probably be with James right now.

'Really.' Sonny sounded unsure 'Why don't you just tell me the truth, I'm not a kid. If your so bloody sure, why do you look as scared as I feel?'

James sister began scraping her feet along the concrete pavement defiantly. Harry was by now getting used to feeling helpless in his current situation. All he wanted to do was let his fathers family and friends know that Lily and James would be ok. There were, however, other things weighing on his mind.

_Ron_.

 Did Ron know that his aunt's husband had once worked for Voldemort? How could he possibly not? One thing was for  certain, Remus and Sirius knew. They had allowed Harry to make acquaintance with the nephew of the man who had once tried to kill his parents. Harry wanted to go back to his own time. He wanted to confront Remus, Sirius and Ron. But how?

The trio, plus Harry, eventually reached Sirius's house. As they walked through the doorway Remus lit the living room with his wand. Sirius squinted as the sudden light dazzled him. They each sat down on separate chairs, Harry sat on the arm of Remus's. The two men flopped back into their armchairs but Sonny sat rigid in the middle of the sofa, her brown eyes fixed on the wall before her.

'Why didn't you answer my question? the girl finally asked 'If you're so positive James will be found then why do you both look so worried?'

'It's not James that is worrying us. He's in the best hands possible.' Remus told her. 'There are a lot of awful rumours going around the wizarding world concerning Jones. If they are true and he's working for Voldemort', he breathed heavily, '.....then God help us.'

For the first time Sonny moved, slowly turning her head toward Remus.

'Don't' Sirius croaked 'There's no need to scare monger, it's best she doesn't know until we're sure James is safe.'

'Bloody hell Sirius' Sonny yelled 'I am not a child! This is my brother we're talking about. If there's something I should know for God's sake tell me!'

'She has a right to know' Remus told his old friend. 

He looked deeply into Sonny's eyes. Sirius moved from his arm chair  to Sonny's side on the settee. Holding unwavering eye-contact with her Lupin began to tell Sonny, Jones's story.

'The Jones family were once a very wealthy and well respected family, strangely well respected considering they were a strongly Slytherin group of people. Old Mr. Jones was a successful man, although rather old-fashioned in his ways, he was also very kind hearted. Malus was an only child and was treated like a king by his father. Mr. Jones was also very strict which Malus hated. When he was nine years old he befriended a young boy named Davy who was well known as an orphaned beggar and a trouble maker. Mr. Jones was deadly against the friendship and rightly so. Malus and Davy began getting in a lot of trouble with the Ministry for minor crimes, theft and the likes. Old Jones blamed Davy for his son's behavior and banned the friendship, often locking the kid up in the basement so he couldn't leave the house. Malus still managed to escape the house on occasion and the friendship only ceased when young Davy was found dead in the Jones's barn. Mr. Jones was tried for the childs murder and sent to Azkaban. Malus grieved terribly for his friend and weeks later Mrs Jones and the staff that resided in the Jones house were killed. Everyone knew that the murders were committed by young Jones but there was insufficient proof to convict him. He was left to walk free and joined Hogwarts shortly after. Under Dumbledores watchful eye Jones was incapable of causing trouble but since his graduation suspicious deaths have followed him around'.

                'It's because of Jones past that Sirius and I are concerned. With Voldemort's power he is capable of anything. He certainly has murderer's blood in his veins, inherited from his father and he possesses Slytherin qualities. If  the rumours are true he committed his first murders at just ten years old.'

Sonny glared at Lupin, her face ghostly pale. 'That's the man that's after my brother?' she said, her voice trembling 'And that was what he was capable of before he learned magic? Why are we just sitting here' she began sobbing 'Why aren't we looking for James?'

Moody and the Ministry are on to it' Lupin told her calmly. 'They are the best people for the job. Even if we did find James we couldn't do anything to stop Jones. We'd be as vulnerable as James and Lily. The Aurors have powers we don't, I have utmost faith in them.'

Sonny nodded tearfully. Sirius took her in his arms where she cried herself to sleep.

It was 1am when Sirius looked at his clock. He carried Sonny upstairs to bed and she slept on soundlessly.

Harry felt numb. Although he knew the outcome of events he still felt un-nerved that such a monster had been sent to kill his parents.

Remus looked tired as did Sirius when he returned downstairs.

'Come on Moony' he said 'We'd better rest too, like you said, James and Lily are in the  best possible hands.'

 Before another word was said the two friends had fallen fast  asleep in their chairs.


	5. Added Problems

Hmm I got this one done pretty quick, I hope that's not a bad sign! I've made this one slightly more cheerful despite the chapter title! I apologise for any grammar or spelling mistakes but I am the worlds worst proof-reader, I hate reading my own work cos I'll end up analysing it to bits and rewriting it 10,000 times. Right then on with the next chapter.

Chapter Five :  Added Problems

The next stage of Lupin's memory began at 2pm the following day.

'Come on lazy!' Sirius shook his friend awake.

'Huh' Remus sounded groggy and struggled to open his eyes.

'It's afternoon already, I called Fudge and told him we wouldn't be going in to work today. Oh, yeah, here...' 

Sirius handed his friend a small wooden goblet filled with a steaming purple liquid. 

'...thought you could do with a Hangover Remedy'

The liquid let off a pungent odour which was steadily drifting it's way over to Harry, it wasn't unlike the smell of soggy sprouts. Harry thought he was going to be sick and he wasn't the one that had to drink it. He couldn't help but wonder why the wizarding world had not yet caught on to the delights of  the simple Paracetamol. Remus gulped the potion down, his face twisting as the bitter liquid oozed down his throat. This expression reminded Harry very much of the one Snape frequently wore when looking at Neville Longbottom.

'Urgh,' Lupin cringed. 'Thanks Padfoot but you should've woken me up for work. I take enough time off due to my transformations without adding to it.'

'I know Moony', his friend replied, 'but after all that you drank last night I doubt that you'll be able to see straight for at least a month!'

'Oh, please!' Remus scoffed. 'You had gallons more than me! I'll be surprised if Sonny doesn't get you done for harassment after the way you were behaving! Where is she anyway?'

'Still upstairs. I thought I should let her rest for as long as possible.' 

Sirius strode over to the window and drew back the heavy velvet curtains to reveal a beautiful summer's day. Sun streamed in through the windows, illuminating and warming the small living room. Birds could be heard singing in the trees above half-a-dozen or so children who were playing in the streets. It was hard to believe that such dark things were happening in the world on a day like this.

'I've put some lunch on.' Sirius announced. 'Shouldn't be too long.

Remus nodded. 'Any news from the Ministry?' he asked.

'No' Black sighed 'The Daily Prophet hasn't reported any sightings of the Dark Mark though. That's a good sign'

Remus once again nodded.

Sirius left the room and reappeared five minutes later with three plates piled high with food.

'Hope you're hungry' he told Remus.

Harry 's eyes goggled. He decided that Dudley would definitely love to live with Sirius. He would have to mention the idea of  his cousin moving in with his godfather ('you know the convicted murderer') during the summer. The only place Harry had seen anywhere near as much food was The Great Feast.

 Just then he remembered, The Great Feast. He had just been there with Ron and Hermione , right before he'd gone to Lupin's office. He didn't know how long he'd been gone in his own time but he hoped they weren't worried.

Sirius lay two of the plates on the table and told Remus he was taking the other up to Sonny, meanwhile Remus tucked in. Minutes later Sirius returned looking slightly puzzled.

'She's not answering so I left it outside her door. 

Once the two friends had eaten they began to discuss the events of the night before. After pondering over the information they had given Moody and the speed at which he had taken off after the Potters, they both agreed Lily and James would be perfectly safe. Just then , as though reading their thoughts, Alastair Moody's body-less head appeared suddenly in the fire place before them.

'Evening Gentlemen' Moody's face was stern and unsmiling.

'God Moody', Sirius jumped, 'What is it, have you heard from Lily and James?'

'I am afraid not' came the monotonous voice. 'I need to check some details with the two of you. You see, neither the Potters nor Jones have been anywhere near  the address you gave me last night. Holiday Cottage 401, Cragside Avenue, Little Forest you told me. Is that correct?'

'Yes' Remus replied  'But I don't understand, why would they have gone anywhere else?'

'The Potters had been present in The Three Broomsticks Inn prior to their dissapperation' Moony stated 'Were either of them inebriated?'

'Well yes, they both were.'  Sirius looked at the floor as he spoke, wearing the same shy expression Hermione always did when she'd just told on someone.

'Drunken Dissapperation!!!' Moody bellowed his face contorted in fury. 'Have you any idea how dangerous that is?! They could have ended up anywhere!!!'

With his outburst complete Moody disappeared. Harry was pleased, he hated to see floating heads at the best of times.

Remus looked aghast.

'We should never have let them go,' he muttered. 'This is all our fault. We have to go and tell Sonny.'

The pair silently made their way upstairs where Sirius knocked on Sonny's door.

'Sonny, can we come in?' he murmured. 

There was no reply.

'Sonny?'

Sirius looked to Lupin and shrugged. He slowly pushed the door open.

The room was empty.

'Holy Jesus! Where is she?' Remus cried.

He spotted a piece of parchment on the bed and ran over to it.

'What does it say?' Black demanded'

_'If you aren't going to help then I will' _Remus read 'The ink is dry, this must've been written some hours ago.'

'But I've been up since nine!' Sirius protested.

'Well she couldn't have climbed out of the window it's too small. She must have sneaked out before you woke up' Remus concluded.

The two friends slumped down on to the bed, each holding their head in their hands.

Harry began to worry. He knew his parents would be ok, but his aunt? All he knew about her was that she wouldn't be around in his lifetime.

After fifteen minutes of ear-shattering silence Remus spoke.

'We have to report Sonny's disappearance to the Ministry.

'Oh to hell with the Ministry!' Sirius snapped 'Bloody great job they've done so far. Bunch of idiots, if _we_ worked in the Dark Arts office we'd have found them by now! They haven't got a brain cell between the lot of them! You can sod that, I'm not going to them, I'd do better myself!'

'You know you couldn't Padfoot' Lupin said calmly 'If not the Ministry then who?'

'I don't know' came the angered reply 'There must be someone with more power than those arse.....'

'Sirius!' Lupin scolded before his friend could get his words out 'Well, how about Dumbledore. He's the only wizard alive more powerful than the Ministry'

A ray of hope glimmered in Black and Lupin's eyes.

'I'll send my owl' Remus offered.

'To hell with that we'll apparate. I don't give a damn if we aren't expected' Sirius grew more impatient.

Remus saw the flaw in this plan immediately. He sighed.

'Honestly Padfoot. Haven't you ever read 'Hogwarts: A History'? You cannot apparrate within the school grounds.'

Harry couldn't help but grin. How many times had Hermione used that exact same line? Judging by the look on Sirius face he was in the majority that had not read that book.

'Like I was saying I'll send Calador to Dumbledore requesting that he clear us a fireplace and then we can get in to the castle via Floo Powder. 

Lupin left the room and returned seconds later holding a large, grey owl which had a piece of parchment attached to it's foot.

He held his arm out and the bird flew away.

'Don't worry Sirius. Calador is one of the fastest owls around, even faster than those stupid Concorde things the muggles invented. Caused some bloody awful Quidditch accidents those things'.

Sirius just stood silently by the window watching the owl as it flew out of sight, his head bowed as though in prayer. Harry watched his godfather knowingly.

 He was saying those exact same prayers.


	6. Marauders Cave

**Right Chapter 6 is here. As always thank-you to everyone who reviewed for me, glad to know you're still interested!**

**Hermione 'DB' Granger – Thanks for reviewing for me again. Yes, I am an English lit. student (I used to do English language too but, GOD it was awful!) I'm glad you thought it was a good idea to add bits of humour I wasn't sure if it would be appropriate or not – but then my humour rarely is! I don't really have any opinions on Concorde jets I just wanted to compare the owl to something really fast.**

**Ok then...**

Charter Six :  Marauders Cave

The owl took only half an hour to return. Harry was relieved when it did, the deathly silence that had hung between Remus and Sirius since it's departure was becoming unbearable. Sirius had spent the whole time rocking back and forth on the bed whilst fiddling with the hem on his cuffs. His dark eyes looked empty and devoid of life, his skin was ghostly white. He reminded Harry of a vampire he had once seen in an old vampire movie Dudley had made him watch because he was too scared to on his own. 

Harry wished he was watching that movie now, back at Privet Drive. Never in his life had he wished to go to the Dursley's house and hours before he would have sworn blind he never would, but even the Dursleys' were more appealing than this current situation. Of course Harry wanted to know the outcome of these events. He desperately wanted to know how his parents had escaped, what had become of Jones and most of all what had happened to his aunt, but he would much rather be told than have to live through it. He couldn't bear the suspense. He couldn't bear the fear he saw in the eyes of those around him. 

While Sirius sat playing with his cuffs Remus sat very still, his head bowed and resting in his hands, his eyes concentrated on the floor. Harry could tell he was thinking hard, he had seen Hermione wearing that same expression on countless occasions. The furrowed brow and intense stare gave way only when a faint hooting sound could be heard coming from the window ledge.

'Calador!' 

Remus jumped up as the owl began pecking viciously at the roll of parchment strapped to it's foot. He relieved it of it's letter and it flew away after receiving a quick treat and pat on the head from its grateful owner.

'What does it say?' Sirius asked eagerly, joining his friend by the window.

'Dumbledore has temporarily allowed the fireplace in his office to be linked to the Floo Network. We'' have to go straight away as he is anxious about keeping it open for too long in case of trespassers, or worse.'

The men both dashed towards the grate in Sonny's abandoned room. Each scooped up a handful of green powder from a large glass pot on the hearth.

'Go on.' Sirius stepped aside allowing his Remus to climb into the base of the chimney. Lupin then threw the powder down whilst calling out the name of his destination.

'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry'

Harry couldn't think of anything he liked less than traveling by Floo, well maybe with the exception of Professor Trelawney continually predicting his death, but this was almost as bad.

A thick green mist engulfed the chimney stack and emerald flames licked the calves of his legs. His head began to spin rapidly leaving him blind to anything but the flashing green of the flames that now completely surrounded him. Without warning he landed in a tangled heap on the floor of Dumbledore's office. He looked around to see that Remus was stood rigidly behind him completely unfazed by the whole experience.

'Professor Dumbledore' Remus greeted the Head whilst shaking his hand.

Dumbledore chuckled. 

'Come now Remus I think it's about time you started calling me Albus. It is, after all, some time now since you attended this school.

'Aaah ,Sirius Black. I trust you are going to cause less havoc during this visit to the castle than you did the last time you were here.'

Sirius had just appeared from the fireplace behind them, he grinned and shook the old man's hand. 

'Well under the present circumstances I shall try my best' he replied cheekily.

Dumbledore led the men towards his desk. I would ask you to take a seat here but some rather naughty Hufflepuffs covered my guest chairs in invisible paint, I haven't any idea where they are.' He looked pointedly at Black 'I just don't know where they get it from.'

Sirius grinned to himself. He remembered the time Dumbledore had caught him stashing tins of invisible paint under his bed vividly. It was confiscated without him ever using it but he would have never have dreamed of using it on Dumbledore's chairs. Why hadn't he thought of that?!

'If you don't mind we shall have to attend our business in my living room.' 

The Headmaster took the men into  the chamber that lay behind his desk. The room was dark and cluttered with many unusual objects most of which would occasionally let out a loud bang causing Sirius and Remus to jump. A few portraits hung on the stone walls and a large oil painting of the Head himself stood in the entranceway. Dumbledore sat down in a small armchair which was covered in purple and red velvet, he indicated for his guests to seat themselves on the couch before him.

'I would have done the dusting if I knew I was going to have visitors' Dumbledore smiled.

'Sorry to come at such short notice, but you see we've just discovered Sonny missing and well, she's been gone for hours.' Remus explained. 

'Yes, a tricky situation. I am glad you came to me. The Ministry assure me they are doing all they can to aid your situation but as always they are tied up with many other matters. However, I have contacted a few of my old acquaintances who have promised to help us with the search.'

'Who are these friends?' Sirius asked eagerly 'Are they spies?'

Dumbledore held up his hand.

'I am afraid I  cannot say. All I can tell you is that these wizards have my utmost faith.'

'Well that is good enough for us .' Remus reasoned.

Sirius nodded in agreement. It was very rare that Dumbledore should be wrong about anything.

'Now', the Head began, 'I have agreed to meet my associates this evening, you are very welcome to remain here until then, I trust the meeting will be short and I will be able to report it's outcome to you immediately. If you don't wish to stay that long you must at least stay for supper.'

'We'd love to stay.' Sirius accepted 'We were just driving ourselves mad at my house, at least here we have contact with those who are trying to help.'

'Splendid. I shall set one of the spare rooms on the third floor up for your personal use and get onto the house-elves about setting you a place for dinner.' Dumbledore informed them as he disappeared into his office.

Sirius and Remus remained seated in the living area, both looked a lot more at ease than they had on their arrival.

Dumbledore arrived back in the room in minutes and told the men that the arrangements had been made.

'I'm sure a guide will not be necessary. As I remember you are both very familiar with the out-of-bounds rooms on the third floor' he added 'It is the first room on the left, the one in which you used to store your collection of illegal Exploding Gobstones and Filibusters Fireworks if  I'm not mistaken Mr. Black' 

Dumbledore grinned.

'Oh, no. Those were Peter's. You see...' Sirius began but a raised eyebrow from his old Headmaster indicated that he was fighting a loosing battle.

The two Marauders made their way out of the office and set off towards the third floor. They had a little difficulty with one of the staircases leading up to the second floor, it seemed someone had enchanted it so that it would not stop moving.

'Oh come on, I played that trick five minutes after I was sorted!' Remus cried 'These kids have no originality.'

After they had both finally managed to jump across the gap left between the stairs and the hallway they succeeded to their room without any problems.

The room they entered was already lit by candlelight and a few cosy-looking chairs had been added for their benefit. A fire roared away in the corner of the room and in the centre of the seating area a small table had been set with a large jug of pumpkin juice and two empty goblets. They each sat down on one of the chairs.

'An hour to go until supper.' Sirius sounded more upbeat than he had done since this fiasco started.

'Yeah' Remus agreed 'Looks like everything is going to be sorted. I trust Dumbledore entirely and he doesn't seemed overly concerned. What do you think of these old friends of his, Unspeakables maybe?'

'It's possible but I'm not too sure. I don't think Dumbledore will be relying on Ministry workers, he seems as disillusioned with them as we are.' Black reasoned.

'Mmm. Maybe you are right.' His friend decided.

Remus curled up cosily in his arm chair while Sirius wandered around the room, occasionally stopping and examining the pillars and brickwork. He traced his fingers along various cracks in the walls, examining them closely. Every now and then he would put his ear against the walls and tap them as if checking their hollowness. 

'Looking for something?' Lupin inquired.

'Mmm' Sirius sounded thoughtful. 'I used to hide a load of stuff in this room. Do you reckon it's still here?'

Remus looked intrigued. After a few more minutes of searching Black pulled his wand out of his belt and held the tip of it against a brick in the wall. 

'Diffindo'

The spell Sirius had cast caused a large expanse of the wall to split in half revealing a cavity the size of a wardrobe.

'God Sirius. Did you make that hole! You could have gotten expelled tampering with the building like that!' Remus cried.

Sirius ignored him and stepped into the gap.

'Lumos'

He lit his wand and began searching through the items that lay within the wall. The room was like Aladdin's cave, filled with practical jokes rather than gold.  Remus joined him inside and grinned to himself as he scanned his eyes over the many tricks heaped on the floor. He seemed to be joining Harry in thinking Sirius was incapable of keeping anything tidy. The expression on Sirius face strongly resembled the one Hermione wore when she had correctly answered one of Snape's particularly difficult questions. He looked like Dudley in a sweet shop. The young man dropped to the floor and began rummaging wildly amongst the miscellaneous items.

'Look at all this stuff!' Sirius laughed 'It's all still here!'

'I never knew about this place' Remus seemed upset that he had been left out of the secret.

'No one did' Sirius replied 'Oh come on, I know what you and James would have been like, popping up here all the time. It was safer to keep it secret and you've seen all this stuff anyway.'

Remus too began searching through the gadgets. Harry looked on in amazement. There were enough practical jokes here to keep both Zonko's and Dervish and Banges stocked for weeks. The possibilities were endless. He'd definitely  be telling Fred and George about this place when he got back to his lifetime.

'It's strange this place has never been found.' Sirius pondered 'In fact I'm insulted! All of the time I spent developing and making this stuff and nobody is even using it. Look it's all here- 'Leaky Quills,' 'Stink Roses For Disastrous Dates'....Oh look! My book! 'Sirius Black's 50 Favorite Ways To Annoy Severus Snape And Other Obnoxious Slime Balls!' I loved researching that one! Come on,help me carry some of this stuff out.'

The two men began gathering up armfuls of the jokes and carried them over to the table which nearly broke with the heavy load. Remus sat down again as Sirius practically skipped over to him wearing a smile that gave cause for alarm. It was the same smile he had worn almost constantly at school, it was the expression he used when planning mischief.

'Sirius no! You cannot use any of this stuff now, remember why we are here!' Remus' voice was filled with worry. His friend was rarely dissuaded from a joke.

'Of course I won't use it Moony.' he promised 'But look at all this stuff. It was made to be used, not sit around inside of a wall. It wouldn't hurt just to leave a few things lying around would it.'

The look on Remus face told Sirius he had better not pursue this conversation. He dropped the subject and began once again raking through his collection.

'Oh....Moony' he said in a voice barely louder than a whisper. 'I don't believe it!'

'What?' Lupin sat forward in his chair to see what his friend had found. When he saw the object he couldn't help but smile.

'The Marauders Map!' he laughed 'Oh Padfoot! I thought you lost it!'

'So did I. It was right here at the bottom of my secret chamber all the time!' Sirius beamed. 'I guess you and James were right all along if I had tidied up once in a while I wouldn't have lost it. You know,' he continued, 'It's bad enough that all of my other inventions are going to waste but we spent years developing this. We found out more about this castle than anyone when we were making this, you've got to let me leave it somewhere it can be found.'

To Sirius surprise Lupin nodded his head.

'That is the best and most important thing we ever made.' Remus reasoned. ' When we first completed it we dreamed that it would be used by the generations to come. I guess we owe it to our younger selves to make sure the map serves its purpose. Now though, we had best be getting down to the Great Hall for supper.'

Sirius stuffed the map into his pockets and helped Lupin put the articles back in their place. He sealed the cavity and followed his friend down to supper.

When arriving at the Great Hall the men were delighted to find they had been seated at the professors table. Remus found he was unusually hungry whereas Sirius barely touched his food he was so excited about the old maps discovery.

 After the meal Dumbledore approached his guests with some news.

'I have come to let you know that I have been in contact with my old colleagues and we will be meeting in my office in ten minutes. You are most welcome to join us. I trust your chamber is comfortable and meets your requirements?'

'Oh yes Professor' Sirius beamed sounding a tad over-enthusiastic.

The Headmaster threw a questioning glance at them

'Oh you know,' Remus said awkwardly 'It's always a pleasure to visit our old school.'

'Quite.' Dumbledore sounded unconvinced but decided against questioning and left the room.

The friends both hurried back to their room to freshen up before the meeting.

'Come on!' Sirius cried 'Lets see if the Marauders Map still works!'

As he unrolled the parchment Remus watched over his shoulder.

'Would you like to do the honours?' Sirius offered

Remus pulled out his wand and tapped the Parchment.

'I solemnly swear I am up to no good' he recited the spell that would unlock the secret of the map.

With those words thin, inky lines began to spread across the page, finally enjoining and revealing a perfect map of Hogwarts castle including secret passage-ways. Tiny dots upon the page showed the whereabouts of everyone within the castles grounds.

'Oh' Sirius breathed 'It still works! I was unsure if the Aparecium spell I put on the ink would hold but it's as good as it ever was.'

He looked to his friend grinning but for some reason Remus was not sharing his triumph, instead he looked very concerned. His eyes were fixed upon a certain point on the map, where Black couldn't tell.

'What is it Moony?' he asked 'Has something gone wrong?'

Lupin silently moved his hand and pointed to a position on the map. There in Hogwarts dungeon labelled in miniscule writing, was Malus Jones.

**A/N Apologies that this chapter has ended up a bit G.O.F-like.**


	7. Meeting Madness

**Ok, got this one done pretty fast. I tend to write quicker when the action bit comes along! I've decided to split it up into maybe two or three chapters to make it lighter to read but there are a few clues in this chapter as to what will happen in the next.**

Chapter 7 : Meeting Madness

'What is he doing here?' Sirius demanded.

The map showed that Jones was in the Potions classroom that in Harry's time would be Snape's office. He  was moving at a  rapid pace around the room occasionally coming to a stop next to the store cupboards.

'It looks as though he's brewing a potion.' Remus concluded. 'Quick get Dumbledore'

'No'. Sirius cut in. 'There's no time, he's obviously in a hurry. We'd better get down there now!'

The two men shot out of their room and ran in the direction of the dungeon. Luckily the jinxed staircase had now been restored and they received little trouble from the others.

'Tch! Kids today, always in a hurry.' A first floor portrait grumbled as the pair ran down the corridor as though their lives depended on it. 

Whole hallways seemed to fly by them until they finally came to a stop above the stairway that lead into the dungeons.

'He's still in there' Lupin checked the map. 'Get your wand out, just in case, this could get dangerous.'

Wands poised before them Sirius and Remus moved soundlessly, cautiously down the staircase. A few candles burned to each side of the stairs but the whole of the ground floor was in complete darkness, obviously the Potions Master had already gone to bed. 

An eerie silence hung over the dungeons. The only sound Harry could hear was his own heart drumming rapidly inside his chest, beating so hard he could feel it. He clung to the length of rope that served as a stair-rail, his legs were so weak he was unsure that they'd be able to support him. Sheer fear made him want to close his eyes but curiosity willed him to keep them open.

The two men before him steadily crept forward, slowly moving their feet so as not to make audible contact with the cold, stone floor. Harry could sense the tension rising within his two companions, Sirius's breathing was becoming loud and heavy, Remus's wand wavered in front of him due to a trembling hand. He wished they would light their wands as it was becoming difficult to keep up with the blackened figures but they obviously thought it safer not to draw attention to themselves.

Remus stopped outside a half-open, heavy, wooden door. He turned to give a brief glance at Sirius. 

Harry felt a shiver run down his spine, a tight lump formed in his throat. This was it, Malus Jones was behind this door. 

The two friends seemed to be signaling to each other, what they were saying Harry couldn't tell and he wasn't given time to wonder. All of a sudden the door before them crashed open with an almighty bang. Remus had flung back the door with extreme force hoping to take Jones by surprise. Within seconds of each other Remus, Sirius and Jones had all lit their wands. 

Remus and Sirius stood blocking the doorway, they found Jones in the opposite corner leaning over a bubbling cauldron. The figure of the man was barely noticeable as the light of the wands struggled to cut through the heavy darkness. It was only the light from Malus's own wand that made him visible.

Jones face hung in the air like a bodiless spectre, pale and weary, dense shadows framing his piercing eyes.

'Well look who has come to join the party' he sneered in a deep , gravelly voice.

Jones stirred the mixture within the cauldron absently.

'I'd have made extra but I don't remember you being invited'

His eyes stared motionlessly at the two intruders. 

'Where is Sonny?' Sirius demanded. 'And Lily and James'

'Aaah' Jones closed his eyes and let out a slow deep breath.

'Answer me!' Black yelled but his words fell on deaf ears.

'Just tell us where they are Jones?' Remus tried to reason with the man 'If you do then we'll leave, if not then it looks like we'll have to drag this out.'

A twisted smile appeared on Jones face.  His evil eyes widened, grotesque lines appeared around his pale forehead confirming Remus's deepest fears, this man was indeed a psychopath. Jones let out a loud deranged laugh as he tipped back his head, a shaggy mass of hair sticking to the sides of his crooked face. He looked to Harry like a werewolf crying out to the full moon, not that he had anything against werewolves of course.

'Oh I bet you had fun with that one!' Jones snarled bearing his yellowed teeth, that hideous smile playing on the corners of his mouth. 

'Sending James and Lily into hiding. Trying to get me into trouble with my master! Well you are too predictable you foolish wizards,' he spat. 'Every time anything goes wrong for you people it's 'Oooh lets run to Dumbledore'' Jones voice was now high pitched and mocking. 'I hoped it would be Lily and James that fled here but I suppose the girl will do.'

'So you do have Sonny?' Remus asked calmly trying not to unhinge Jones any further.

Jones giggled and began to sway around on the spot like some kind of deranged Jack-In-The-Box.

'Oh such a sweetie' he taunted '' Oh, please let me go, don't hurt me. I just wanted to go back to school early, honest.'' his eyes rolled madly around in his head.

'I'M NOT STUPID!' Jones bellowed, saliva flying from his mouth. 'I know what all of you puritanical little gits think of me! 'Oh that Jones he's round the bloody bend.' Not quite my dear  fellows I'M STARK RAVING MAD!!!'

Jones began to rant and yell, his eyes twitched convulsively. As his tantrum continued Sirius took the opportunity to look around the room. Moving further into the dungeon he scanned the various items that Jones had removed from the store cupboard. The mad -man did not seem to notice as he continued to shout out anything that came into his mind whilst animatedly swinging his arms around. Sirius moved back towards Remus.

'Looks like he is making a Sedative Draft, maybe he's using it to keep Sonny unconscious.'

Remus nodded. 

'I've just looked at the map. Sonny is in the Forbidden Forest, he must have been keeping her in the top corner that the map doesn't completely cover. She seems to be moving slowly towards the castle. Saying that she's barely moving at all, he must have sedated her before and now he's making a top-up batch because the first is wearing off.'

Jones did not notice this conversation. He was now jumping up and down on a table shouting abuse that he seemed to be directing at his father.

Ok, we'll bind him after three' Sirius suggested. 'One, two...three......'

But it was too late. Jones had discovered their plan and as thin cords shot out of the conspirators wands he jumped down from the table.

'Nox' Malus cried and his wand extinguished.

 To Remus and Sirius he was now invisible. The friends frantically shone their wand light around the room but he was nowhere to be seen.

 Seconds later Lupin felt something small and bristly brush against his upper leg and the heavy door swung shut behind them.


	8. Deadly Mistakes

**Apologies for leaving you with that cliffhanger but my poor typing fingers couldn't take anymore! Anyway, all of the action is here now so hope you enjoy. I decided against splitting this part up because I couldn't find an appropriate stopping point. Thanks very, very much once again for all of your great reviews and advice. Very sorry if you have sent me a question I haven't answered I do try my best, oh yeah the reminds me, Hermione 'db'- the spell from chapter 6 I believe means split. **

**Ok so on to Chapter 8…**

Chapter 8 :  Deadly Mistakes

Sirius jumped at the sudden bang that had come from the door behind him. The faint click that followed indicated that the door was now locked shut.

'How the hell did he do that?!' he  hissed.

 'He crawled past us just before the door slammed' came Remus's annoyed reply 'I felt him push past me before the door slammed but I didn't have time to act'

Sirius snatched the Marauders Map from his friend's grasp and examined it carefully in the light of his wand. The map showed that Jones had just left the school building and was making his way across the grounds, unaware that the two men he had just faced knew of his whereabouts and where he was heading.

'He's running straight to the spot where he held Sonny' Remus determined glancing over his friends shoulder. 'We'd better get a move on it won't take him long to realise she's escaped.'

The point on the map that represented Sonny Potter was still moving at a very slow pace towards the castle. The mixture of the Sedative Draft and her own fear and tiredness were holding her back, it was only to be hoped that the density of the forest would work in her favour rather than Jones's.

A simple 'Alohamora' released the door from its sealed state and in no time Sirius and Remus were running across the first floor of the castle. Luckily everyone had now either retired to their common room or office so they encountered no trouble whilst moving around the school.

Out in the courtyard the wind was growing cooler and a light shower began to fall absently to the ground. The summer sun, although still providing sufficient light, was slowly setting beyond the greying clouds. 

Remus stopped, with his hands resting on his kneecaps he struggled to breathe. Sirius's stamina and determination were far beyond his own. His friend looked at him with diminishing patience as he struggled to break back into a run. A lump burned in the back of his throat as he continued the journey into the forest, yards behind his sprinting companion.

Sirius stopped at the edge of the forest and allowed Remus to catch him up, according to the map Jones had not yet reached the spot at which he had left Sonny, but he wasn't far off.

'Sonny is still way back out there' Sirius announced motioning his hand to a point at the very top of the map. 'We're going to have to be very careful, I don't have to remind you of some of the monsters we encountered when writing this thing. With luck we'll be ok, Jones doesn't seem to have run into anything.'

They began to walk through the shallower edge of the forest deciding to find Sonny first rather than chase Jones. As they continued further into the forest it began to grow dark, not due to the pending night but because the thick trees were almost completely blocking out sky and sunlight.

 Remus wiped his brow as sweat began to run down his face, thankfully Sirius too had grown too tired to run and they were both now walking at a quickened pace. The humidity within the forest was making their quest unbearable and they were still far from finding Sonny, fortunately this was also the case for Malus. With the added advantage that they actually knew Sonny's position in the forest it was becoming increasingly likely that Remus and Sirius rescue would be successful but they didn't want to grow too confident, there were many dangerous creatures roaming the forest. They couldn't afford to take the dangers lightly.

Time began to drag on uncomfortably to the two friends as they travelled onwards. Since they had left Hogwarts the plant-life in the Forbidden Forest had grown rapidly, over taking most of the pathways and clearings they were familiar with, meaning they had to re-explore certain areas and work around those that were unfamiliar without straying off their route. Twice they had found themselves travelling in circles. Sirius checked the map every so often to keep an eye on Jones whereabouts. During the first half of their journey he had been running in the wrong direction entirely but he was now following a path similar to their own. He too seemed to have slowed down, tired of running.

Sirius continued to walk on ahead of his friend, calling out directions. The hard earth beneath them began to give way to long roads of tree-roots and strange yellow plants which lay in tangles over its surface.  Sunlight was now completely blacked out and the two men resorted to using wand light to find their way. 

They soon approached a large mound of earth, which lay covered in thick, knotted tree-roots. It stood like a twenty-foot wall between the men and their desired path. After searching the area thoroughly Remus decided that they had no choice but to climb it. Judging by the worried expression he wore Harry could see that Remus climbed as badly as he ran, but their friend's sister's life was at risk, there was no other option.

Sirius entwined his fingers and held his hands palm side up so that Remus could use them as a stirrup to hoist himself as high as he could up the surface of the earthy- mound. Using the gnarled roots as footholds they began to climb their way to the top, stopping every so often to determine the easiest and quickest route. 

Sirius tried to remain focused despite the pain that was crippling his him as he heaved his body upwards. Harry could see large, blue indentations in the skin on his godfather's hands from where the tough, woody roots had dug into them, almost cutting off his circulation. Remus on the other hand was not coping at all well. He began to curse loudly and cry out in agony. Sirius looked back over his shoulder at his friend whose face had become contorted in agony.

'That's strange.' He thought silently to himself 'It's not like Moony to react so strongly to pain. Even during his transformations he doesn't like to show any weakness.'

A dull ache began to course down Lupin's back, continuing to his ankles. His arms began to grow weak and tingly as though he was suffering from pins and needles. He stopped moving and held onto the branches beneath him for dear life.

'Oh God' he thought 'How could I be so stupid? How could I forget?'

'Padfoot!' he yelled out 'I'm,…..I forgot…..'

Remus struggled to get out his words. The pain he had gained from the splintering roots coupled with this new feeling were overtaking his senses. He felt like he was loosing his mind.

Harry watched the scene terrified. What was happening? Why was Remus in so much pain? Sirius already seemed to know the answer. He let go of his supports with one hand and leaned backwards extending an injured palm to his friend.

'Remus hold on you need to get to the top. It's not too far, I'll pull you.' Black called out, but there was no reply.

He hung there, suspended in time, waiting for his companion to take his hand, unable to turn his head far enough to keep him in view.

'How could we be so stupid?' He scolded himself silently in his mind. 'We were so pre-occupied with this whole Jones thing, but how could we forget? 

If only the trees around them hadn't been blocking the sky they would have noticed. 

They would have seen the orange sun fade behind the commencing rain-clouds. They would have seen that it had been  replaced by a glowing, white, full-moon.

It was too late. 

Sirius panicked his aching fingers clamped to the tree-roots that supported him for dear life. If he fell now that would be it. There was at least an eighteen-foot drop to the floor. What could he do? He had to move quickly but he couldn't afford to be careless for a fully formed werewolf was now clawing it's way towards him, it's yellow teeth bared. 

There was no way he could transform now, he couldn't be sure whether his claws would be strong enough to cut into the thick roots and he certainly couldn't hold them with his paws. He would have to stay human and hope that there was enough of Lupin left in the creature to persuade it not to attack.

Harry could not believe what he saw. Could this be Lupin? 

The ferocious creature growled deeply, arching its body as though preparing to leap. It seemed to be having problems holding itself up, probably suffering from the muscular pain that Lupin had acquired as a human. 

'Remus' Sirius whimpered, fear burning up in his eyes. 'Come on Remus'. 

The animal ignored his pleas and in a split second leapt forwards. It's long body sprung upwards, brown and silver fur flashed past Harry's eyes.

'God no', the young boy thought. 'God don't hurt Sirius.'

As though hearing Harry's prayers the werewolf narrowly missed Sirius with it's steely claws and instead dived clear of the mound. Harry watched as the creature skidded headfirst down the other side of the soil obstacle. It landed in a heap on the forest floor but seemed unhurt as it scrambled straight back to its feet. The sheer force of the werewolf's' pounce knocked Sirius off balance. He struggled to regain his grip, holding onto his life with his fingertips. As the werewolf strolled off along the forest path unaware of his friends trouble, the last of Sirius strength diminished and he fell back to the foot of the hill.

Harry looked on in terror as Black's lifeless body lay limply on the ground below. Was Lupin still aware of why he was in the forest? Would he, as a werewolf, know that he had to find Sonny? The Marauders Map had shown that Jones was following the friends' path. What would happen if Sirius did not regain consciousness and was found by the madman? He couldn't bear to think.

Remus walked on through the forest. The rest of the journey was bizarre. Harry followed warily as the animal slowly wandered through the trees completely unaware of the reason it had entered this place. The boy grew increasingly emotional. 

Remus had to come back. 

He had to. He could not abandon Harry now he was needed. He had to save Sonny. 

The only hope left was that Sirius would revive and find Sonny alone, for where this animal was going was anyone's guess.

After what seemed like an eternity of endless wandering the wolf suddenly began to pick up speed, it's eyes fixed on something up ahead.

 Harry saw that it was another wolf. Not a werewolf like Remus, but a common wolf. He could recognise the difference easily because they had studied wolves in the third year when Snape had taken over a few of their Defence Against The Dark Arts lessons. 

What would a common wolf be doing in the forest? It was hardly in the same calibre as the rest of the evil creatures within the wood, with the exception of a few centaurs and unicorns. 

The wolf sat a few feet ahead with it's back to them, unaware that it was being watched.  It sat silently, it's head fixed as though looking straight ahead.

Just then, from out of the darkened shadows before the wolf came a gut-wrenching cry that made Harry scream loudly.

'No. No leave me alone. I just want to go to school', the sobs of a young lady could be heard in the distance, cutting through the thick night air.

_Sonny._

The realisation pounded within Harry's head. The wolf had her. Remus carried on padding his way towards the wolf. As they got closer to the animal it turned its head hearing the crackling of leaves beneath Lupins's paws. Its eyes bored into Lupin's, they looked almost afraid. Harry couldn't help but think it strange that the creature was capable of such human expression. 

Remus approached the animal and sniffed at it in way of greeting. 

As Harry approached the scene a wave of sickness came over his body. The wolves sat at the head of a small clearing, a ring of plant-less earth surrounded by smaller trees. There, lying in the middle of the ground, lay Sonny Potter

 She was still wearing the same robes that she had to the wedding. 

_God, that seemed like such a long time ago_. 

Her black hair flattened to her head by severe perspiration. Her face was white, bordering yellow and her bloodshot green eyes peered out fearfully from beneath their thin, swollen lids. Large red marks weaved their way across her shaking arms and blood ran down the side of her face from a large gash in her head. She was obviously heavily drugged and fought to make the slightest of movements.

The wolves both looked down upon her body. 

Harry hoped for a miracle, he hoped that Remus would recognise Sonny and remember, but from the vacant stare the beast held it was obvious that such a miracle was impossible. In fact what Remus actually did shocked Harry so deeply that he felt he couldn't move. 

Arching his canine frame, Remus bore his claws and began to growl loudly. He lowered his head to meet the frightened gaze of the young woman. 

She began to sob loudly and tried with all her strength to raise her arms and shield her face.

 Harry turned to look at the other wolf and what he saw turned his blood cold. 

The animal stood perfectly still and, looking upon Sonny's helpless body, licked its lips playfully.  If Harry had not thought that such an idea was madness he would almost swear that the beast was smiling.

It took only a matter of moments for Remus to pounce. It was as if he was showing off to the other wolf, trying to impress it. He landed heavily onto Sonny's stomach. 

She opened her mouth to cry and then seemed to lose the energy to do so. Large claw marks appeared in her robes, blood seeping through them onto the ground beneath her. She breathed heavily as though she was mentally trying to control the pain. 

Harry ran to her side. He wanted to help her. He wanted to pick her up and run back to the castle. He wanted to find Sirius and tell him what Remus head done. Sadness filled his youthful eyes, realising that, of course, he couldn't.

'Bloody memory', he cursed.

 Once again, he realised there was nothing he could do. He collapsed into a heap on the floor.

'Remus no, Remus don't' he whined.

As if mocking Harry's pleas Remus struck again, slicing his claws across Sonny's face. A sickening rip could be heard as Lupins claws tore open her cheek.

Harry couldn't look; he turned his head to face the trees behind him where he saw a sight that revived a slight glimmer of hope in his heart. 

There in the trees stood a large, black dog carefully surveying the scene.

 It was Sirius. 

Realising what was happening Sirius pounced into the centre of the clearing, knocking Remus from his victim. The second wolf fled, fearful of the much larger animal. 

The scorned werewolf tried to put up a fight but Padfoot foiled his attempts, inflicting a large deep wound upon his friend's canine shoulder. The wolf fell to the floor shrieking in agony, licking at its bloody injury. 

The faithful, black hound sat down by the injured girl and placed a friendly paw upon her heart. 

The sight of the girl moved Harry to tears. She lay there perfectly still, completely white but for a blue tinge around her motionless lips. 

The dog looked down upon her sadly, his large, black eyes gazing into the thin sliver of emerald visible from beneath her partly opened eyelids. 

Sirius slowly bowed his canine head.

_'She's gone' _Harry thought sadly_ 'She's dead. Remus did it. Remus killed her.'_

Harry closed his eyes trying to block out the pain. Trying to block out the image of the dead girls body from replaying in his mind.

_'No'_ he yelled _'No, no, no.'_

And to his surprise his was not the only voice that spoke. Somewhere echoing in the forefront of his mind came a second voice, a man's voice shouting those exact same words. 

'No, no, no' 

A strange sensation came over Harry's body. The cold, dampness of the forest evaporated from around him and was replaced by a sense of secure warmth. A strong smell of incense wafted thought the air. The voice became louder and more prominent, more real.

'No! No!' the voice continued. 'Why, why did you do this Harry?' 

Harry opened his eyes quickly, shocked at the mention of his name. He found himself in a large room, surrounded by bookcases. 

He was back, back in Dumbledore's office and stood before him was none other than Professor Remus Lupin.


	9. Restless Blame

**Ok so I guess I owe some BIG apologies to Remus fans (I am one too.) But hey, I couldn't have let Jones kill her, it would have been far too obvious and there's always a twist at the end right? Thank you for the reviews as always, glad you're still hanging in there. **

Chapter 9 :  Restless Blame

'Harry. My God! What are you doing?' 

It took Harry a second to realise where he was. Finally he was back, Lupin had brought him out of that awful memory. But it wasn't Lupin that had spoken it was a voice from behind him.

'Sirius' Harry turned around recognising the speaker's voice.

Before he knew what was happening Harry felt his godfather's hand wrap around his arm, dragging him to Lupin's desk where they both sat down.

What was happening? Harry's head began to spin. What was going on? Surely he was imagining things. He must be, Sirius could not be in the castle, Remus couldn't have killed his aunt. This was just a silly dream that's all; he was going to wake up in a minute.

Remus sat down before Sirius and Harry. His face was unusually pale, his eyes pools of tears threatening to spill over. Sirius stretched an arm out to his old friend, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

'Remus, don't' he whispered concealing the hardened lump that was beginning to form in his throat. 'It's ok we can explain..'

'Explain what?' Remus sobbed 'He saw Sirius! He knows everything.

'Yes but you had no control' Black defended his friend 'Harry knows that, don't you Harry? He understands.'

Did he? Did he really understand? How could he, how could he possibly understand this? His father's friend, his _own_ friend had murdered his aunt, he had killed her and never even told him. What was there to understand? Harry had grown up without his parents, without his godfather, without a single clue to his wizarding past. He had blamed Voldemort. It was he who had killed Harry's parents, deprived him of the life his mother and father had intended for him, but now that was not entirely the case. He had had an aunt. His father had had a sister, a sister who would be alive to this day had she not been slaughtered. Remus had robbed him of knowing her. He had taken away the one link he could have had to his past, to his parents. How could he ever understand that?

Seeing Harry's hesitation Lupin took his head in his hands and began to weep freely. Sirius looked between his two companions, his oldest friend, and his godson. What could he do? Show loyalty to Remus and risk loosing Harry or upset a friend who had already been through so much.

'Look' Sirius spoke gently. 'Harry, you have every right to be upset, no one is blaming you, but please let us explain.'

There was nothing to explain as far as Harry could see. The pain, the anger, the image of the dying girl and the sound of her cries were still fresh in his mind. He couldn't cope. He couldn't do anything. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak, he couldn't even think. It was all too much; he wanted nothing more than to run, run away from Hogwarts and these traitorous men. He just wanted to run and run and run..

Remus raised his head so that his eyes met Harry's. Seeing the helpless look on the Professor's face Harry almost felt pity. He had never seen such sadness as that he could now see in Lupin's eyes. Tears ran down his pink cheeks, his eyes were bloodshot and swollen. He was obviously in a lot of shock.

'Harry, please let me explain.' He begged the boy, fear causing his voice to quiver.

He had good reason to be scared. No one knew of his crime, not even Dumbledore. In the years since Sonny's death no one but Sirius had discovered his crime, but now Harry had. His victim's nephew had learned the truth of her death. How could he possibly carry on? Living with his sin had been unbearable, how could he possible live with the guilt while having Harry's accusing eyes upon him?

'Give me a moment Remus' Sirius told the man.

Taking his friend's hint Remus stood up and made his was into the lounge room at the back of the office and shut the door.

Sirius turned his seat to face the boy. Sitting forward he wrapped a paternal arm around his shoulders and looked pleadingly into his sad, green eyes as he spoke.

'Harry, please, please don't blame Remus. You must see that he had no control. You saw him for yourself; you saw how upset he was at Sonny's disappearance, hell you even saw him go looking for her. He risked his life in going after Jones. Anything could have happened to him but he didn't care because your aunt's safety was at risk.'

Harry nodded slightly in agreement, still not able to completely accept Sirius's explanation. Nothing would change the fact she was dead.

Black continued 'You have no idea how much Remus cared for your aunt. We all did, she wasn't just your dad's sister, she was as good as ours. I remember all of the summers we used to spend at your dad's home before Sonny was old enough to go to Hogwarts. They were great days, the best we ever shared' 

Harry noticed a fond smile twitching in the corners of his godparent's lips as he shared his memory.

'James, and me, we used to go and play Quidditch. Of course that was very wrong of us and you must definitely not follow example, but we did. Remus was never very interested but he used to come along and watch. He would sit on the grass below us with Sonny, helping her draw pictures or colour in books until it was time for us to head back. It was weird- even though she was younger than us they got along so well. To be honest I was almost jealous. Towards the end of her life I became very fond of your aunt but that was nothing compared to the bond she had with Remus. They were like best friends. I can still picture them, lying in the sun, laughing at the enchantments Remus would sometimes put on their sketches.'

Looking almost embarrassed that he had told Harry so much, Sirius straightened up in his seat and began to talk in a more serious tone.

'Harry, I remember Remus telling you a couple of years back that during his transformations he would completely lose his mind. The Wolfsbane potion he takes now is a very recent discovery. You remember he told you that the Whomping Willow was placed in this school to protect the other students from him? Does that not tell the effect his transformations had on his mind, even James and I were not safe from him until we too could transform.'

Sirius sighed wearily. This is not how he had expected his return to Hogwarts would be. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected to be having this conversation with Harry. How could Reums be so stupid, putting such a dangerous memory into an enchanted basin? With all this going on he hadn't even had the chance to tell Harry why he was in the castle, the boy didn't even know that he was free.

'I am going to check on Remus, I'll  bring him out here to talk to you' Sirius told Harry as he walked off towards the headmasters' lounge.

During Black's absence Harry used the time to reflect upon the facts. 

Sirius was right, Remus had no control over what happened to Sonny, it hadn't really been him that had killed her, it was the werewolf, the beast had taken over his mind. 

But then again, it was his fault. 

Remus knew that he was a werewolf. From a very young age he had known that every month he would turn into a dangerous monster. How could he forget? After the dozens of transformations he had endured through his lifetime he couldn't just forget. 

He had been careless. 

Well, maybe. 

He had been trying to save Sonny's life, how could that show carelessness?

 But…

**_But._**

Every conclusion Harry drew ended in a 'but'. 

But this…If only that…he was going around in circles.

 Harry began to realise that trying to reach reason tonight was pointless. The awful event he had just witnessed was still fresh in his mind. All of the anger, the pain and the disbelief had not yet settled in his head. It could take days, months before he would make any sense of this. For now he could not count Remus as a friend nor could he treat him as an enemy. 

In his years at Hogwarts Harry had learned that things are not always as they seem; 

Snape had not tried to help Voldemort steal the Philosophers Stone during Harry's first year, Sirius Black had not murdered anyone and he, Harry, was not the Heir of Slytherin. More often than not his initial beliefs had been proved wrong. He had to be very careful before forming any immediate opinions regarding Remus Lupin. At present Harry must concern himself only with what he knew to be the truth.

Remus and Sirius re-entered the office and took their seats. 

'Poor old Remus', Harry thought. No matter what the man had done it was impossible not to feel sorry for such a sorry looking being.

'Harry, I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry' Lupin told him trying to avoid eye contact.

'I realise that what happened was not intentional.' Harry said diplomatically ' But I .. I just.. I dunno, it's too soon. I can't think.'

Lupin held up his hand to prevent the boy from speaking.

'I understand. Harry, it would be very unwise of me to expect you to forget this or ask for forgiveness. I hope in time that you will find it in your heart to put this behind us. I have grown very fond of you, as I was of your family, I would hate to think there would be any lasting bad feeling between us. For now though all I ask is that you keep an open mind.'

Harry nodded in agreement.

'May I ask a few you a few things?' he directed this question at Sirius, despite his mixed feelings he could not bear to carry on conversation with Lupin.

'Well, firstly, I wondered, why was I not told about this?'

'Nobody was told about this, and Harry I'd ask you to keep this to yourself, at least while you think about things.' Sirius replied.

'What do you mean no one was told? What happened to her then? Someone must have guessed, I mean the claw marks' Harry shuddered remembering the appearance of the dead girl.

'Do you remember the second wolf you saw Harry?' Lupin picked up the explanation. 'That was Jones, he was an animagus. Sirius and I had no idea but of course Dumbledore knew.'

'I took her to the castle' Sirius continued. 'Before I even had a chance to open my mouth Dumbledore had jumped to his own conclusions. He believed Jones had killed her, in the form of a wolf.'

'And you didn't correct him!' Harry became angered 'You let Jones take the blame!'

'Harry, Jones had intended to kill Sonny' Sirius reasoned 'Remus had not. Jones is in Azkaban for a crime he wanted to commit. Justice was done.'

Harry was not convinced. How could allowing a murderer to walk free ever be justice?

'He wanted to kill her Harry,' Sirius went on 'and you're parents too. What Remus did was unintentional; surely you wouldn't have wanted him to be handed over to the Dementors?

The answer to that Harry didn't know. He decided that the best thing to do would be to carry on gathering information and make a decision when he was in the right frame of mind to do so.'

'Why were they at Hogwarts then?' Harry wondered.

'Same reason as us', Remus answered 'Sonny too had come to consult Dumbledore but as she was using muggle transport Jones found her easily. You're parents, incidentally, accidentally apparated overseas and did not arrive home for another week.'

Harry breathed deeply. There was just one more thing. One more question burned in his mind.

'Does Ron know?' he asked

'No' Sirius confirmed. 'After Jones's imprisonment Nelly Jones committed suicide, unable to take the hatred she suffered as the wife of a murderer. Ron, as far as I know is aware of her existence but he knows nothing of Jones. As far as he is concerned his aunt just died young. I can tell you, it came as something of a shock to me when I first saw you and Ron together in the Shreiking Shack. When I saw him in that Daily Prophet article it worried me that you may have befriended him.'

'But you didn't stop me.' Harry accused

'What would be the point?' Lupin asked 'He is unaware of his family history, as you were; you were doing no harm to each other. Did you never wonder why the Mrs. Weasley is so protective of you? She fells responsible I suspect.'

'But she's not' Harry snapped 'You are!'

Remus looked hurt, seeing this Sirius decided to end the discussion.

'Harry you must be tired, it is very late.'

'No, I couldn't possibly sleep' the boy replied

Sirius understood the feeling. With a swift, swish of his wand he sent Harry into a deep sleep. He carried him up to his dormitory, being extra careful not to wake the other sleeping Gryffindors, and tucked him into bed where he slept on until sunrise.


	10. Pictures Of The Past

**Chapter 10, sorry but it's a short & miserable one. Poor Remus, I'm starting to feel sorry for him now! What have I done to him!? **

**Wintermoon: Thanks heaps for your comments. Wow, I have a fan! Also thanks for informing me of your updates I am still reading and enjoying, I'm sure I'll be caught up soon. Totally love your story by the way it's so clever! Anyone who is not reading Wintermoon's  'Blast From The Past must do so-NOW, well after you've read this anyway!**

Huge thank you's to everyone else who has reviewed for me! 

Chapter 10 : Pictures Of The Past

The small room was cloaked in darkness. The heavy, velvet curtains that hung tightly at the windows blocked out the silver moonlight that illuminated the sky outside. Remus Lupin sat alone on a small rocking chair in the corner of the room, a single candle burned at his side. 

It had been three hours since Sirius had put Harry to bed. In those three hours Remus hadn't slept a wink. He hadn't even bothered to try, his bed stood completely untouched, exactly how it had been since he had made it that morning. 

Five o' clock, the hours continued to drag on. Remus wanted them to; he wished that sunrise would never come. He was safe here in his room, away from the school, away from Harry's guilt-laying eyes. 

Poor Harry, he had not deserved this.

'How could I have been so stupid?' he thought 'How could I have let this happen? It was never supposed to end this way; Harry wasn't supposed to find out - ever' 

_Why?_

Remus remembered the day Dumbledore had presented him with the Pensieve- a gift for taking up the offer of a job after much reluctance. He had been unsure, wary of trusting the device for much time. Was it safe? Was it a good idea entrusting such a dangerous memory to an enchanted device? How could it not be? The Pensieve was to be stored in Dumbledore's office, the safest place in the wizarding world; no one would find it there. 

No one was supposed to find it there.

 After a lot of consideration Remus had finally decided to use the device, not because he thought it was a good idea but out of pure cowardice. The memory of Sonny's death had haunted him for sixteen years. Not a day had gone by when he had not thought about her and what had happened, he couldn't bear it. The Pensieve, for him, had been almost a way out. With the memory stored away it did not concern him so much, some days he would not think of it at all and his conscience had cleared almost completely. It was bliss; he could finally remember the happy times he had shared with Sonny without the overshadowing guilt of her death.

It was beginning to grow cold in the small room. Remus stood up and went over to his bed. He pulled the covers from his mattress and took them over to the chair. He went back to the bed and pushed his hand under the tattered mattress. 

It was there, right where he had left it.

 He pulled it out and stared down at the large, golden book. Sitting back down he pulled the blanket up around his chest allowing his arms to remain free to examine his find. 

The book was the size of an atlas and twice as thick, emblazoned upon the shiny cover were the words 'Summer Holidays- 1970 – 1975'. 

It was a photo album. 

The year he had joined Hogwarts, Remus's parents had presented him with his first wizards' camera, an old Lightning Flash 20. It was a second hand camera and a bit tatty but it was all his parents could afford and because of that Remus had cherished it. At Hogwarts he had spent his first few weeks taking pictures of the castle but, after a while, the novelty of the building wore off and the camera went unused. That was until the summer of 1970, the first summer he spent at the Potters house, it was then that he had began to keep this album.

The Potters house was a novelty for Remus, they were very rich unlike his family and he had been amazed at all of the wonderful things they had owned. Sirius and Peter would also visit the Potters house every summer although Peter was never allowed to stay for long. 

They were great days; days that cameras were invented for. Remus would drive everyone mad taking pictures of everything he saw. During the day James and Sirius would fly off to play Quidditch and Remus would watch with young Sonny. Sonny loved attention and liked nothing more than to have her picture taken, which was why most of the pictures Remus took were of her.

Lupin slowly and carefully pulled back the album's worn cover. The first pictures he had taken were now old and yellowing but beautiful none the less. 

There she was, in the very first picture. 

She must have been nine years old when that picture was taken but she was pretty none the less. James and Sirius often teased Remus over his fixation for the child but they were wrong, his relationship with the girl was not an inappropriate one, he just cared for her. She was always a quiet girl, very sensitive. She did not make friends easily, which is why Remus liked to spend time with her. He was not in love with her he simply wanted to protect her. 

Flicking through the pages Remus almost forgot his sorrow; these were wonderful days, the best of his life. He looked fondly upon the various snaps; pictures of James de-gnoming his garden, pictures of Sirius up to no good but he did have one particular favourite. It was still there underneath it's plastic cover, enchanted heavily to protect it from damage. It must have been 1975, one year before the Marauders graduation. Remus could remember the day that this photo had been taken; it was the day in which James had first introduced Lily to his parents, four years before their marriage. It had been an extremely hot summers day and the Potter family had held a huge garden party for Sirius's birthday, wizards from all around had attended. Mrs Potter had seen Remus and Sonny talking in a corner and had offered to take a snap of them with Lupin's ever-present camera. She looked so lovely, fourteen she must have been, her long dark hair shined in the sunlight, _she looked so happy_, they both did.

Remus snapped the album shut. That was enough - he couldn't look anymore. He sat in complete silence for another hour. He stirred only when a loud knock sounded on his door. It was Sirius.

'Hi' Black said letting himself in, worry spread over his face when he saw his friend sitting up. 'Moony, you haven't been sitting there all night have you?'

Lupin did not reply, confirming his friend's suspicions. Sirius looked sadly upon his friend. He noticed the album for the first time as it sparkled in the candlelight. Bending over he picked it up.

'God you spent years making this.' He remembered fondly.' I remember how long you saved up to buy this book. You're lucky you know, to have this. I wish I had more to remember her by.'

'You shouldn't have to have reminders. She should still be here.' Lupin snapped his face growing pink. 'She would be if it were not for me.'

'You weren't to blame! You know that! How many times do I have to tell you?' Sirius told his friend.

'That's not what you used to think' Remus remembered miserably.

Sirius's face fell. He knew exactly what his friend was talking about. He, like Harry, had been less than sympathetic towards Remus initially. To say he had made life unpleasant for his friend was an understatement. After the fateful event he had shown support for Remus, even lied for him but this had all changed after the funeral. This had been an awakening for Sirius. Watching her body being lowered into the ground was like a sudden realisation. She really was gone. She would never be seen again. He had taken it out on his friend, blamed him as Harry now did. He had been wrong; he had allowed his own selfish feelings towards the girl ruin one of his most cherished friendships. He had been keen on Sonny maybe even loved her but his simple  feelings were not worth loosing a friend over, not when nothing could be done about them. 

' Yes but Remus I was wrong. I was jealous. Jealous of the bond you had with her, jealous because I had never been a part of her life in the way that you had. Remus she adored you and no matter what I did I could never equal you in her eyes. She wouldn't want you to blame yourself, she would want you to carry on and to make peace with her nephew.'

Lupin could deny that this was true. Sonny would never want to see him hurt because of her. It was time that he laid his ghosts to rest. Harry however was a different matter altogether.

'Look.' Sirius spoke again 'I just came to tell you that I am leaving Hogwarts tonight. Dumbledore has authorised my release papers, the Ministry have put out word of my release so I should have no problems returning back into the wizarding world. You know, I'd be really happy if you and Harry could get this sorted out before I go. I was about to go and tell him of my release before anyone else steals my pleasure. I think it would be good if you came too. We could talk to him together, set you on the right tracks whilst I am still around.'

Remus nodded. Dragging himself to his feet he set of with his friend to find Harry. He had terrible misgivings about this meeting. Hopefully Harry would be as forgiving as Sirius had been. He couldn't bear to lose the relationship he had already established with the boy. He crossed his fingers behind his back, knowing he would need all of the luck he could get.

** A/N I'm really crap at maths so if the dates in this chapter don't add up don't blame me it is my stupidity's fault. I dunno why but people seem to be of the opinion that Marauders graduated in '76 so I worked off that and the assumption that James died in '81, if anyone knows any better please let me know.**


	11. Secrets Best Kept

**Chapter 11, I'm going as fast as I can! **

**Thank you to kateydidnt for helping me with those dates. I had been trying to work it out from the Deathday party too but searching around for dates (plus my awful maths skills) were making it a bit difficult.**

Polkat: Glad to know I'm still getting the interest of new readers. Tell your parents that you don't need sleep to survive, reading this is much more healthy!

**Wintermoon: I understand what you mean about Sirius wanting to stay at the castle but he couldn't just live there could he? Not being a teacher I doubt he'd be allowed and he's got his own life to re-build- house, job etc. Oh what the hell just keep reading!**

**Once again thanks to everyone for reviewing!**

Chapter 11:  Secrets Best Kept

He lay there still, helpless. The hard earth beneath him felt strangely warm and damp. He could he its face above him. He could see those evil, yellow eyes just inches from his own. He wanted to move but he couldn't. It was trapping him, pinning him down with its cold steely claws.

_ Sirius must be on his way, he would come soon, and he would help. _

_Glancing to his left he could see her. She lay there, stiff and lifeless, blood oozing endlessly from the cuts on her skin. _

_Was blood supposed to do that? Do dead bodies still bleed? _

_Surely not. _

_That's when he noticed. It was all around him. _

_Warm, sickly-smelling blood surrounded him like an ocean, lapping against his body like the waves of the sea. _

_Please Sirius. Please come. _

_The creature continued to glare at him, smirking at his fearful expression. _

_A sudden noise from behind the creature forced it to turn its' head. _

_He could see him, the great black dog; Sirius had come to save him._

_Or had he? _

_Something else happened, something he had not expected, Sirius changed. _

_The black dog transformed into its human form and looking at the scene he laughed,_

_Sirius laughed. _

_No, that can't be right, he's come to save us.  _

_But he hadn't._

_ Looking helplessly back to the corpse by his side he noticed that it too had changed. She was no longer lying still but sitting upright, a twisted smile upon her blue lips. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but it wasn't words that came out it was blood. The fast flowing liquid ran from her mouth, soaking his robes…and the man began to call his name_

_'Harry…Harry'_

'Aaaaaargh' Harry screamed aloud.

'Oh it's ok' he realised, struggling to open his eyes 'It was only another nightmare'

He strained to see without his glasses. He must be in his dormitory, he didn't know how, but he was. 

That was when he saw it, the dark figure leaning over him. In his blindness he couldn't tell the figures identity, but it was far too tall to be Ron.

'Aaargh' he yelled again, but the figure but a large hand over his mouth to quash his screams.

'Harry shut up you'll wake everyone!'

'Sirius' Harry hissed 'Is that you?'

'Yes, here' he handed Harry his glasses.

To his disgust the boy could now see that Remus was there also.

'It's half six Harry, sorry to wake you early but I wanted to talk to you now while I still have the chance.' Sirius's tone sounded urgent.

'What the hell are you doing here anyway?' Harry asked. 'You must be mad. If Dumbled….'

'Dumbledore is fully aware of Mr. Black's presence' Remus cut in. 'Meet us in the Great Hall when you are dressed, I daresay you are very hungry after last night's escapade.'

With that the two men left allowing Harry to get ready.  He dressed extremely quickly, surprised at how energetic he felt after such a long night, Sirius sure cast a mean Consorpio Charm. 

On his way out of the dormitory Harry couldn't help but cast a glance at Ron. He lay there huddled under his blanket with a peaceful expression on his face. 

He looked so content. So falsely content. 

How could they lie to him like this? 

How could they lie to anyone like this?

 Harry did not know what he was going to say to his friend when he awoke. 

Should he be told the truth? Surely he had a right to it.

On entering the Great Hall, Harry noticed Remus and Sirius sitting together at the teacher's table.

'What the hell is he playing at?' Harry thought to himself angrily. 'Is he determined to get himself caught?'

Walking towards the table he noticed that three plates had already been set. He sat down at the table as instructed by Remus.

Harry couldn't help but notice that the headmaster looked extremely strained and very tired. But then that was nothing more than he deserved.

'Breakfast's up in a minute.' Sirius attempted to sound cheery.

'What are you doing?' Harry demanded. 'Do you want to go back to Azkaban?'

Sirius laughed. 

'Well Harry if you had not caused such a drama last night I would have come to tell you. I am a free man. Dumbledore has been working all summer to clear my name and, finally, justice has been done. As far as I am aware there is now a substantial award and a Dementors Kiss resting on Peter Pettigrew's head.'

'Drama?' Harry thought. 'Drama, is he trying to make light of this?'

'Yeah Harry, Congratulations to you too!' Sirius said sarcastically.

'That's brilliant' Harry smiled, giving his godfather a massive hug. 

He was glad of a bit of good news and this was as good as it got.

Just then a small tug on his sleeve forced Harry to pull away from Sirius.He looked around to see that it was in fact Winky the House-Elf.

'Mr Harry Potter sirs, you is a very bad, bad boy. You has never guessed what Dobby is doing now? He is claiming the minimum wage! He tells Mr. Dumbledore that he is a big elf now and is having to have four galleons an hour for his work!'

As if hearing the conversation Dobby strode over to the table from his work in the kitchen.

Harry was surprised to see that Dobby was wearing a bright green sports jacket, brown combat shorts and Dr. Marten boots. His socks, which he had pulled up to his knees, bore a logo that looked suspiciously like Gucci.

'Oh, Mr Potter sirs, how Dobby has missed you.' The elf enthused, a huge grin spreading across his face

' Winky has told you sir, of my pay-rise? Oooh sirs, Dobby is rich beyond a house-elf's dreams.

The small elf pulled a silver packet from his pocket that turned out to be Cuban cigars.

'Is Mr Potter liking a snigar?' he asked cheekily.

'Dobby!' Remus yelled in an attempt to be strict, but a faint snigger escaped his once serious lips. 

'There is absolutely NO smoking in this castle!'

'But sirs me is hearing that all workers are allowed the snoking break'

'You can smoke in your break if you wish Dobby, but not within the castle grounds.'

Dobby stormed off back to the kitchen rambling angrily as he went. Words such as 'unfair deprivation' and 'persecution of snokers' could be made out.

'See Mr. Potter sir! See what you has done! Oooh the shame!' 

Winky began to cry uncontrollably into her hands and scurried off after Dobby.

'Ooh Dobby you is a bad, bad elfie' she yelled as she went.

'Yes Hermione, you did a really good job there' Harry though to himself

The three wizards began to laugh uncontrollably, pushing their differences momentarily aside. 

Sweeping his wand hand across the table Remus conjured the food that the house-elves had prepared. Large, golden dishes of sausages and bacon appeared before their eyes as well as plates of fries eggs, toast and hash browns. Remus raised a toast to Sirius's freedom with a glass of pumpkin juice and instructed them all to tuck in.

As they helped themselves Sirius began the somber conversation.

'Harry, I realize that you have probably not had time to digest what happened last night but I would like to ask you a favour. I am leaving the castle tonight, Mr. and Mrs. Lupin have agreed to take me in, and it would make me a happy man if you and Remus could put your differences aside before I leave. I am not asking you to forgive and forget, but at least be civil. Remus has a very hard job to do, he needs your support.'

'You are right.' Harry replied. 'I haven't had enough time to think but I will co-operate with Remus until I have made my decisions.'

'Decisions?' asked Remus.

'Whether or not to tell Ron. Whether I accept your pleas of innocence.' Harry's voice was cold and hard. 

Surely he could not be serious. He couldn't blow Lupin's cover now. 

Could he?

After finishing his meal Harry excused himself and made his way up to Gryffindor Tower. On his way he bumped into Hermione who was looking even more pleased with herself than usual.

'Oh Harry. Have you heard? She beamed. 'Sirius is free.'

'I know' Harry grinned half-heartedly.

'I thought you'd be a bit more excited.' Hermione said sounding slightly concerned about her friend's mood.

'Just got stuff on my mind.' He replied shortly.

'Oh' the girl seemed confused 'Well have you seen Professor Lupin? I saw him and Sirius rushing around this morning and he dropped this.'

Hermione held out a small, red wallet.

'It's got a little money in and a photograph so it must be important.'

'You looked in it?' Harry asked surprised.

'Well, you know, I was curious. I blame Ron's influence. Look….'

Hermione opened the wallet up and showed Harry the picture.

'Doesn't he look different?' she giggled at the longhaired young Remus. 'I don't know who she is but she looks familiar, I think it's the eyes…'

Harry knew exactly who it was it was.

 Sonny. 

She looked young here too, probably about fourteen. Harry couldn't help but feel touched by the image. Remus looked so caring of the young girl, his arm wrapped around her shoulder. They looked happy.

Maybe Sirius was right. Remus certainly didn't look like he'd hurt the girl intentionally.

What was he supposed to think? Every time he thought he'd reached conclusion an opposing thought cancelled it out. 

What would Hermione say? She was so logical, she would know the answers.

 Should he tell her? 

Where was the harm?

'Meet me in the common room after breakfast, alone' he told her.

'Harry', she laughed, 'we've got Potions after breakfast. How could you forget?'

'I don't care' he said sharply 'There's something I need to tell you.'

Harry disappeared up to the common room waiting impatiently for Hermione's arrival. When she came she seemed very flustered.

'Harry, quickly what is it? Snape will give us detention for this, and we could lose house points! We won't be late if you hurry!'

'We aren't going to potions.' Harry answered flatly. 'It's ok I can clear it with Professor Lupin.'

Hermione was going to argue but sensing the determination in Harry's eyes she thought better of it.

Sitting down in a corner of the room Harry began to relay the events of the night before. 

Hermione listened, not interrupting, staring open mouthed at Harry as though she was trying to catch a chocolate frog.

When Harry came to a stop she immediately cut in.

'Oh my god, but that's awful. It wasn't his fault! Remus couldn't have known!'

'And you're sure about that?' Harry asked 'He knew what he was doing when he let Sirius lie to Dumbledore.'

'Yes but Harry' Hermione argued 'It wasn't his fault - it was the wolf! What could he have done they couldn't exactly arrest the wolf and not him. No, Harry this is absolutely not Lupin's fault – he had no control! You saw the photo, if that's her then they obviously weren't enemies, he looked like he cared for her terribly '

'But Hermione', Harry became exasperated, 'I _lost_ my aunt, Ron lost his aunt, surely someone has to be punished!'

Hermione looked increasingly flustered.

'Jones is being punished.' She reminded him 'If it weren't for him Sonny and Remus wouldn't have been in the forest in the first place.'

'Oh what the hell would you know?' Harry snapped. 

Looking at his watch he realized that Potions was now over. 

'I'll ask Ron shall I? He is the only one that can understand, he is the one who has lost an aunt because of Lupin, just like me!'

'Harry you can't tell him.' Hermione whispered fearfully.

'Oh can't I' Harry yelled storming out of the room 

'We'll see!'


	12. Reflection And Realisation

Thank you for your reviews (and puppy-dog-eyed pleading) but you'll just have to wait and see won't you? You didn't seriously think I'd just tell you what's going to happen?

**Luna Elentari: Thank you for reviewing all my chapters but how did you know!**?**  You're one of those cursed seer's aren't you! In reply to your question about James knowing what Remus did the answer is no. Like I said in Chapter 9 no one but Sirius, and now Harry ever found out. **

Hermione 'DB' Ok, ok I'm sorry bout the maths (I hate it just as much!) but I thought it was important to get the story in perspective time-wise. Glad you spotted the R/J- R/H parallel, I'd just been studying 'Wuthering Height' and was trying to be clever.

**Wintermoon: Stop making that face, it gets me everytime!**

Chapter 12:  Reflection and Realisation

SLAM 

The Fat Lady swung shut just before Harry reached it. 

'Weird', Harry thought, 'I'm sure all of the Gryffindor's have lessons now.'

Dismissively blaming the slammed portrait on Mrs. Norris Harry made his own way out of the tower with Hermione hot on his heels.

'Harry, no! You can't be serious! You could get Lupin sacked!' She wailed.

Harry, who suffered badly from selective deafness, carried on walking briskly across the corridors in search of Ron. 'Surely he should be around here somewhere; he's just left the dungeon so he can't be far.' 

'Looking for something brave sir!' a recognisable voice bellowed as the two friends pushed along the busy hallways.

'Shut up Cadogan!' Harry snapped at the nearby portrait of the old, slightly insane knight.

'Scurvy Cur!' The painting scolded, pushing forth his armoured chest in self-importance 'Sir Cadogan will not take such impudence! I challenge thee to a dual!'

'No, really that's not necessary' Hermione smiled sweetly. 'Harry didn't mean to offend. We are just looking for our friend Ron Weasley. Have you seen him?'

'A quest!' Cadogan yelled boldly, then looking at Hermione 'Fair Damsel I will gladly assist.' 

The knight straightened his chain mail and if Harry wasn't mistaken there was definitely had an amorous glint in his eye as he smiled stupidly at the girl.

'I saw the man in question leave Gryffindor Tower some five minutes ago.' Sir Cadogan continued. 'I was visiting the Fat Lady you see. Came storming out, he did.  The mangy knave knocked me from my pony!'

A look of shock spread across Hermione's face. She turned to Harry with a look of venom I her eyes.

'He heard us!' she hissed 'You stupid idiot, he heard!'

'Good' Harry said nonchalantly as he stalked off towards the common room.

'Do you know where he went?' Hermione demanded of the knight.

'He muttered something of 'Hagrid knowing'' the knighted portrait replied.

'Oh god' Hermione thought ' Oh god, don't let him tell Hagrid.'

Hermione ran as fast as her legs would carry her across the courtyard towards the groundskeepers hut. Pushing past first-years and cursing at a Ravenclaw who crossed her path she arrived at Hagrids Hut to find Ron sitting outside.

The boy saw her coming. He looked so fragile, so very pale. His blue eyes stared around in bewilderment as if he didn't know where he was.

'Hagrids out.' He told his friend as she sat down by his side.

'You know that's not why I've come.' Hermione told him matter-of -factly. 'You heard what Harry told me didn't you.'

'I only came to tell you that we had Potions; I thought maybe you didn't know. I was about to come in and tell you but I heard Harry talking about my Auntie Nelly. I was surprised, mum never lets us talk about her, I just wanted to find out what he knew and then….'

Ron trailed off sadly.

Hermione put a comforting arm on his shoulder.

'It wasn't your aunts fault.' She told him softly. 'It wasn't Lupin's either so don't go reacting like Harry has.'

'But surely, if my aunt had known Malus was innocent, she wouldn't have wanted to die.' Ron protested in his aunt's defence 'She just thought he had a mental illness didn't she? She didn't know he was a Death Eater?'

'I can't answer that Ron.' Hermione replied diplomatically. 'But from what I know of your family, your mother, I don't believe for a second that Nelly did know. Ok, so she was a Slytherin, but not all Slytherin's are Death Eaters. She just fell in love with the wrong man.'

Ron smiled weakly. 

'Grandma used to talk about Nelly sometimes, said she was a bad seed. 'The black sheep of the family', she used to say. My family didn't like her, only mum because they were sisters, now even she doesn't want to remember. I haven't lost anything Hermione, not like Harry has, I just…' He sighed heavily, searching for the words. 'I thought I knew them, my parents. I thought I knew my history. No wonder Malfoy sneers at our family, I bet he knows. I bet he loves having that hanging over me. A Slythrerin aunt, a Death Eater uncle, I bet he nearly wet himself laughing when he found out.'

'Forget Malfoy.' Hermione told him 'He might not even know, well I suppose it is likely with his father and everything but that's not what's important. You are. You and Harry and Lupin, you need to talk to each other about this.'

Ron nodded feebly. 'Yeah we'll go and find Harry, I want to send an owl to mum too. I have to tell her that I know about Nelly, I have to ask her to tell me the truth and Fred and George deserve to know. I wonder if Bill and Charlie have been told, and Percy too.'

'Come on' Hermione gently pulled Ron to his feet. She had to smile, all of that time she'd had her arm on Ron's shoulder and he hadn't even noticed.

Ron pulled a tatty piece of paper from out of his robes. Hermione recognised it at once as the Marauders Map.

'I got it from Harry at the Great Feast' he explained ' I was going to sneak into the kitchens, get us a bit of food, I thought Harry might want a celebration for Sirius.'

Ron unfolded the map carefully.

'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.'

Thin inky lines began to spread across the page revealing that Harry was now on his way up to the third floor.

'Weird' Hermione thought 'There's nothing but empty rooms up there.'

The two friends made their way up the troublesome staircases and finally caught up with Harry in a room on the third floor. The room was now a bedroom. As it hadn't been the year before Hermione concluded that it must have been recently converted for Professor Lupin's use.

'Where the hell is he!' Harry yelled, slight insanity gleaming in his eyes as he glared wildly around the room.

'Harry you have to get out of here.' Hermione sounded worried. ' You'll get us into trouble - this is a teachers room. How did you know?'

'It's the room I visited in the memory.' Harry told her 'The one with all of the tricks n stuff, I guessed he'd want to be in here with Sirius's old stuff.'

Harry scanned the room carefully. The small, neat bed, the rocking chair in the corner and the tattered wooden wardrobe. Lupin certainly didn't have much. After thirty-seven years of life this was all Remus Lupin had to call his own, tattered furniture and a few old robes.

A large golden book left lying upon the rocking chair caught Harry's eye. Curiously he picked it up.

'Summer Holidays 1970-1975' he read aloud. 

Opening it up he realised what this book was used for.

'It's a photo album' He told his friends.

Curiosity got the better of him. He sat down on the old bed and began to flick through the pages.

'Harry, come on!' Hermione became panicky 'What if someone comes?'

'It's ok we've got the Marauders Map. Give us a look!' Ron slumped down next to Harry, happy to put his sadness aside for a quick laugh at Lupin's old hairdo.

'That's Sonny.' Harry whispered ' She looks like she's only a kid.'

He continued to leaf through the album examining each photo carefully.

 That's when he saw it, carefully bound in a plastic cover, it was the photograph taken at Sirius's party.

'Harry' Ron whispered but his friend did not reply.

 Instead the boy sat mesmerised, tracing the picture with his fingers. It looked so beautiful. His aunt and Remus, they looked so happy together, out in the sun with not a care in the world. They smiled widely out at him winking and raising the glasses they held in their hands. The wind blew slightly ruffling their hair. She looked so pretty in her red, silky robes. If he hadn't known any better Harry would have thought they were a couple, they looked so close - so very fond of each other.

Ron looked at the picture over Harry's shoulder as the young wizard continued to study the scene.

'Harry.' Ron finally snapped his friend back to reality but he didn't have to say a word. 

Harry knew.

He knew what this meant; he could see what it showed.

Friendship.

Realisation overcame him as he scanned the image. 

They were friends, always had been and always would be.

 He couldn't blame Remus, he even hadn't wanted to. He had just wanted to blame someone.

His aunt had been taken from him by accident but he couldn't see that, he had wanted to pin the blame and Remus had been a convenient scapegoat. He hadn't been upset, he had been angry selfish. He had lost an aunt that he had never known but Remus had lost a cherished friend, had grieved for sixteen years over a young girl he had loved deeply. Harry was simply grieving for the life she could have provided for him.

'I know.' Harry whispered 'I've been so stupid. I was wrong. Ron are you ok?'

'Yeah' his friend answered ' Like I was telling Hermione, I never knew Nelly.'

'Like I never knew Sonny.' Harry replied 'But we know Remus and we know he would never harm a hair on anyone's head.'

Hermione grinned brightly 'I knew you'd come around. I'm so proud of you Harry. What you witnessed last night was horrifying but you have realised that there are people who have been hurt more deeply by that event than you. It takes a lot to put someone else's feelings before your own.'

'Now' she continued with a more cheery tone. 'Seeing that you have stopped being an idiot we have a lunch to go to. God Harry we've missed a whole days lessons because of your shenanigans!'

Harry gave her a playful slap across the cheek. 

'Hey, you' she laughed 'Well, I suppose I'll let you off just this once. So what are you going to do about Remus?'

Harry smiled 'Wouldn't you like to know?'


	13. The Best Of Days

**Chapter 13, oh no I don't want to end on 13! Yes, this is the last chapter of Dangerous Memories  ~sobs~. Thank you all for reading and reviewing hope you've enjoyed because it's been fun to write. I'm sure I'll have an idea for a sequel soon because 'these days ya gotta have a sequel!' I also have an idea for a little side-line until the second part comes up so you aren't getting rid of me that easily! Anyway before I burst into uncontrollable sobbing and start an Oscar-like drivel I'll tell you how my story ends and in good old HP style! **

Chapter 13: The Best Of Days

The Great Hall was already packed when Harry, Ron and Hermione entered. After wrestling with a few of the younger students they eventually managed to squeeze together at the Gryffindor table. 

'Harry!!!'

'Harry, over here!'

A hundred voices seemed to speak the same name at once. Before Harryknew what was happening a sea of students surrounded, him all eagerly projecting questions at him.

'Is Sirius Black _really_ your Godfather?' asked a young muggle-born Ravenclaw.

'Of course he is stupid everyone knows that! So did you really help him escape from the Dementors?' An older Hufflepuff questioned.

'And it was Ron's rat that killed those people?' Pansy Parkinson giggled from the back of the gathering.

Ron shot her a ferocious glance that told her she'd best sit down while she still could.

'Here we go again' Harry thought.

Since his arrival at Hogwarts Harry had become accustomed to always being at  the centre of attention, and he hated it. Fame had suddenly been thrust upon him and he knew he had to deal with it but he just wished it would go away, he wished to be normal.

'Quiet!' A voice came over the crowd. 

It was Dumbledore. The standing students made their way back to their house tables allowing the headmaster to speak.

'Now, as you  all know' he continued 'Sirius Black has just been released from Azkaban, his name completely cleared. As Mr. Black is joining us in the castle today visiting friends and a relative,' he looked smilingly at Harry.

_A relative _Harry thought proudly while trying his best not to show emotion in front of the resumed stares of his fellow pupils.

Dumbledore went on. 'I think a celebration is in order- to the freedom of Sirius Black' he called raising a tankard of mulled wine.

Sirius, who was sitting next to Remus at the Professors table beamed.

'And yet there is more. Dumbledore told the school 'Upon talking to Mr. Black this morning I have decided to offer him a teaching post at Hogwarts, which he has gladly accepted.  Professor Black will be your new Defence Against The Dark Arts lecturer and he has promised me that he will be filling that post for a lot longer than his predecessors. Professor Lupin seems to think he has enough to do with his commitments as head'  

A round of applause surged around the Great Hall but there were no claps louder than those of Harry Potter. He couldn't believe it. Not only was Sirius free but he was staying! Since he had heard of Sirius's freedom all of Harry's emotions had been spent on himself but now he was finally ready to celebrate. Hugging Hermione and giving Ron a friendly slap on the back Harry dissolved into laughter, this was better than winning the Quidditch Cup a hundred times over!

Sirius seemed stunned. After spending fourteen years as a feared criminal the last thing he had ever expected was such a warm reception. He stood up to address the school.

'Thank you' he could barely get the words out 'Thank-you very much. First off I would like to show my gratitude to Professor Lupin for handing over the Dark Arts job, he thought that it would be the correct move considering his extensive duties as headmaster. Of course he must set his affairs straight so I won't actually be teaching until after Christmas. Well, er, i think that's it really. Thank-you'

Sirius nodded his head towards the students and took his seat. Dumbledore gave the signal and the hungry masses began to eat.

'Wow!' Ron cried, 'this year is gonna be the best!'

Harry grinned from ear to ear. 'Yeah' he agreed 'The best'

Harry could barely eat a morsel although he was starving. He couldn't believe it, he could think of nothing else. He hadn't even gotten around to the idea of Sirius being free, but now! Sirius would be staying at Hogwarts, Harry could see him every day, this was the best news he could ever have wished for.

When the meal had ended Harry made a dash for the teachers table, his wide grin ever-present. 

'Sirius, I can't....why didn't you say....I thought...but ...' Harry struggled to get a single sentence out such was his excitement

Sirius laughed. 'Harry calm down, you'd think I was Santa Claus or something!'

'Oh I know but...' Harry continued excitedly then he remembered Professor Lupin who was sitting by his godfather's side.

Harry turned his attentions to the other Marauder, trying to contain his happiness long enough to hold a serious conversation.

'Remus' he began 'I, I. Well ok umm'

'Harry, do you have something caught on your tongue?' Sirius joked.

'No but I have something to say.' The boy continued. ' Professor I was wrong, I realise that. I've been selfish I' truly sorry. I was just..'

Lupin held up a silencing palm. 'Harry I understand and I thank-you greatly for your apology, I just hope we can put this behind us.'

Holding out his hand to Professor Lupin, Harry confirmed that he was indeed willing to put the past behind them. Remus shook it with a smile.

'Well Harry' Sirius interrupted ' I'm going to be leaving in half an hour. I must settle some business with Remus but I'd love it if you'd come to see me off.'

'You're going?' Harry asked slowly.

'Well yes, I mean, I don't start work until January and I have fourteen years to catch up on. I have no fixed address still and I hope to rekindle some old friendships, just get used to the open air again.' The man replied.

Harry understood he supposed he could manage a few more months without his godfather, he had already waited many years. He practically skipped out of the Great Hall where he rejoined his friends.

'Business Sirius?' Remus sounded slightly annoyed

'I'm not letting it go Moony, I'm going to find her.'

'She might not even know anything about you.' Remus argued.

'Of course she does, she wouldn't just forget me.' Sirius protested.

'Her new family may not want to be contacted Sirius, they have their own lives. They did a good thing taking her in, she could have had to go into care.'

'She was taken away from me Remus! God damn it I can't believe you're saying this! Hell, I'm going to get my things together before I say something I regret!' Sirius yelled, storming out of the hall.

Remus wondered whether he ought to go after his fiend but decided against it. It was useless trying to argue with Sirius, if he had something to learn he'd go about it the hard way.

Harry was already waiting in the entranceway when Sirius arrived carrying his suitcase. The wind outside blew cold and he shivered visibly as he stood waiting. He had decided against inviting Ron and Hermione to wave Sirius off, this was a personal farewell.

On seeing the boy Sirius set down his case and took him in his arms.

You look after yourself Harry' he said softly 'And look after Remus'

Harry smiled ' Of course I will.'

'I'm so glad you have decided to forgive him.' Sirius grinned. 'Forgiveness, there was a lot of that in your parents. Remus never wanted your father to know what happened to Sonny but, you know, I think he would have understood  in the end.'

Harry smiled.   

Whether that was true or not he didn't know but he certainly hoped his father would have been forgiving. Remus had already had enough heartache, blame was useless.

'Well, I'd better be off.' Sirius announced as a carriage pulled up outside. He began to load his baggage up when a sudden voice made him stop.

'Padfoot!'

'Moony' Sirius grinned 'I thought you might not come'

'I never could stay mad at you' Lupin mused putting an arm around his friend. 'But I stand by what I said.'

'Me too' Sirius insisted as he climbed into the carriage.

'Bye Harry. Send lots of owls. I've informed the headmaster that I'll visit on Christmas Day',  smiling at Remus he added 'He said that he didn't mind.'

'I can't wait' Harry called as the carriage pulled away 'Bye Sirius!'

'Bye' Remus called out and then putting a had on Harry's shoulder 'Come on Mr. Potter, I don't believe students are allowed to be out of bed at this hour.'

The boy smiled at his friends attempt at seriousness.

'Goodnight Professor.'

'Goodnight Harry' came the reply.

With that Harry climbed the stairs to Gryffindor Tower, knowing that tomorrow could be nowhere near as exciting as today.

A/N Oh no that's the end! Well I put a little clue in there as to what my next 'spin-off' fic.  will be about. It will only be a small one, just something to keep you occupied while I'm revising but hope you enjoy it. Thanks again for r/r and also the recommendations which I totally appreciated and don't worry I will still be reading all of your amazing fics.

~Delie~


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